Won't Always Lose
by girlwithdimplesx
Summary: CollegeAU-New sorority girl Mercedes goes to her first sorority party as a soror. Sam goes to the same party w/ his roommate. At first sight, he is taken with Mercy. They get to know each other in an unexpected way while she tries to fight their chemistry. But when the walls come down & love quickly builds instead, can they survive while their past ways threaten to tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Ahem.**

**Hi guys! :) So I decided to repost the story because I've changed the book so much at this point that it's not much like the fic at all! I hope you guys will reread it and enjoy it! I'm sorry about ripping it away, it won't happen again 3**

**Synopsis:**

**CollegeAU-Mercedes Jones just became a sorority sister and goes to a sorority party to celebrate. Sam Evans is new on campus, doesn't know a lot of people. He is invited to said party by his roommate Devon and decides to go. At first sight, he is completely taken with Mercedes. And uses the rest of the night to win a chance with her while she tries to fight their chemistry.**

**_ I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SORORITIES. You've been warned. _**

Mercedes stood in the full length mirror of her bedroom, examining the fitting red dress she wore from different angles. She was a confident girl, but even she was nervous about tonight. It would be her first night out with the girls of AKA as a _sister _and not just a pledge. She couldn't help the creeping fear that she would mess up and do something that would cause her to be kicked out of the sorority after she'd only just been admitted. She knew it was unlikely but she feared it nonetheless. The night could go in a million different directions but she could only hope for the best. She leaned into the mirror to check her make-up, exposing her teeth to make sure her red lipstick hadn't stained them. Everything seemed to be in order so she gave herself a final once-over before stepping out of her bedroom door.

"Alicia!" She called out to her roommate. Mercedes and Alicia had met the year before as freshmen in their English class. They'd instantly clicked and become fast friends. So when the issue of finding a roommate for the two bedroom apartment she planned to rent arose, the solution was simple.

"Coming!" Alicia yelled back. The decision for them to pledge together had been a hasty one. They'd just been walking to the campus café when a representative of AKA had approached them and given them a pamphlet for Rush Week. They'd gone home that day and lightheartedly signed up for it but once it actually started and they met so many amazing people, they wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. Mercedes looked at the time on her cell phone. The party would start in fifteen minutes.

"You're on the clock, Licia!" She shouted. The party was going to be held at the AKA house on campus which was precisely two minutes away, but Mercedes hated even the possibility of being late. She heard her roommate mock her before her door opened and she stepped out in a tight fitting black dress that just barely covered her long legs. Alicia was tall, thin, her skin was light, her features small. She was the opposite of Mercedes. As a kid, Mercedes felt inferior to girls like Alicia. But as she grew up, she learned that she was beautiful—not by comparison to anyone else; she just was.

"_Damn, _girl!" Alicia exclaimed as she approached Mercedes. Mercedes smiled and posed dramatically before breaking out into laughter. "You look _flaw-less,_" Alicia said.

"You're killin' it yourself," Mercedes retorted as they walked towards the front door.

"Girl, you know I _have_ to." Alicia responded cockily and Mercedes laughed. They walked quickly down the stairs outside and to Alicia's car; stopping to take a quick picture before hopping in and she drove swiftly and safely towards the party.

SAM'S POV

Sam had only been there for a number of weeks that he could count on his fingers. He knew almost no one besides his roommate Devon and a few of his classmates who seemed only to know him within the confines of the classrooms. His old college was small and he was well known mostly because almost everyone from his high school had gone there, too. He hated it most of the time. He was always forced to be the person that they all expected him to be—that same person he had been in high school. He felt like he had no opportunities for growth. He wanted a fresh start. So when he found out that Easton University offered a better Art Program, it was the perfect excuse to transfer. In the spring when he first arrived to EU, he thought immediately that maybe he'd made a mistake leaving his comfort zone for something so unfamiliar. But when he met Devon and realized that there was nothing stopping him from starting over completely—from creating a new Sam Evans, one that he actually liked—he knew he'd made the right choice.

"Bro, just get dressed and come on, it's gonna be fun." His roommate said as he stood at the threshold of Sam's dorm bedroom. Sam had been sitting at his desk for almost twelve hours working on an art project that was due early next week and Devon had been trying to get him to come to a sorority party with him.

"Dude, I'm like, in the zone now, I can't break my concentration." He said.

"You've been in this _zone _for half of the damn day. This is ridiculous; you got empty bags of chips all over the damn floor—you probably ain't even had real food today. Probably didn't even brush your teeth either. And your room smells 'cause your ass ain't s'pose to sit in it all day." Devon said as Sam laughed, his eyes never leaving his work. Suddenly Sam felt a pillow hit the back of his head and he jumped from his seat.

"Get dressed!" Devon told him.

"Alright, _Jesus._" Sam groaned and threatened to throw the pillow back.

"Hurry up; the party starts in 30 minutes." Devon said as he flinched.

"Aren't sororities for girls?" Sam asked as he sniffed his shirt. His nose curled up at the odor. A shower was definitely in order.

"Yes, Sam. But the _party _is for guys like us who are tryin' to get with those girls. Understand?"

"So you're saying—,"

"—I'm _sayin', _we're going huntin'." Devon interrupted.

"Ok, that's weird." Sam said quietly. He moved quickly to the bathroom for a shower, much to Devon's dismay. He was out within five minutes. Dashing into his room, he threw on a white v-neck, his tan leather jacket, and jeans. Devon was already yelling at the other side of his door as Sam stepped into his boots.

"Fifteen minutes, Sammy!" He heard him shouting. Sam rushed from his bedroom as he snapped on his watch. He moved his hair around in the bathroom mirror quickly and he could hear Devon making a snide comment about _white boys and their hair._

"Ready," He announced as he joined Devon in the common room.

"Good, let's go, pretty boy,"

MERCEDES' POV

Mercedes honestly hadn't known what she was nervous about. There was nothing remotely sophisticated about this party. The music was loud and many of the people were drunk. Some of the snobbiest sisters were grinding on the guys from the brother fraternity. She mentally laughed at herself for expecting so much—this was college anyway.

"You wanna dance?" She heard a deep voice say from behind her as she stood by the in-home bar, watching the DJ. She liked the passion in his eye as he worked. At the sound of the voice though, she turned to find a guy who fit the description of _tall, dark, and handsome_ perfectly. He was gorgeous and he had a cocky grin on his face that Mercedes hated.

He was completely her type.

Unfortunately, she'd given up on guys who were her type months ago—if not guys in general. She'd been in a long term relationship for four years before it ended in a mess. When she finally put herself back out there, dating had turned out to be excruciating for her. She eyed Alicia across the room, chatting with a guy who was equally tall, equally dark, and equally handsome as the man who stood before her.

"Actually, my date's over there," she told him and then she was marching towards Alicia, yanking her quickly from the stranger and pulling her out onto the dance floor.

"What the hell, 'Cedes?" Alicia barked.

"Just shut up and dance with me—I'll owe you one." She said. Alicia rolled her eyes but obliged. They danced wildly, bumping hips, and belting out the lyrics to the song playing overhead. The plan had started out as an escape strategy but now Mercedes was just enjoying herself. There weren't many times when she was able to be completely relaxed and at ease but tonight she didn't know if it was her pride showing for accomplishing this or if it was the couple of shots she'd taken when she'd first arrived that was producing the _freeness _she felt but once she got out onto the dance floor, she didn't want to stop moving. She wanted to feel everything the music had to offer. She could feel it moving through her as she moved her body. She was in her own world, almost even forgetting that Alicia was there.

But then she saw _him_ watching her.

SAM'S POV

The party wasn't anything Sam wasn't used to. He'd been to a fair share of parties at his old school, _all _kinds of parties. A successful party had three things in Sam's opinion—good music, hot girls, and a bar. This party was a recipe for success.

"Look at that one," he heard Devon say next to him as they leaned on the bar. He followed his gaze to a petite girl on the dance floor, moving raunchily against a guy's crotch.

"She seems to have a bit of _baggage _attached to her." Sam noted as he took a sip of his beer.

"My father was a trash man, I can handle that." Devon said. Sam's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What does that even—,"

"Means I know how to deal with baggage and trash and—," Devon sighed and shook his head. "Forget it," he mumbled and Sam shrugged, taking another sip of his beer.

"So is this what you came here for? To watch these girls? Not gonna actually talk to any of 'em?"

"You gotta scope the room first, pretty boy. Can't just go in blind."

"I guess," Sam muttered.

"The girls at EU ain't easy, bro. You can't just run up on them." He explained. "I gotta show you the ropes 'cause you are gonna get out here and make a fool outta yourself—whoa, dude, dude," he interrupted himself, slapping Sam's arm. "Look at _that _one," he said. Sam followed his gaze quickly back out to the dance floor, finding a leggy girl wrapped in a black dress dancing enthusiastically. But Sam's eyes fell quickly and instinctively on her partner. She was a much shorter girl, even in her heels. But she could _move_. He was instantly drawn to her, his eyes unable to leave her body as she danced. His gaze roamed every inch of her over and over, taking in the way the red dress she wore hugged every curve on her body—and she had _so_ many beautiful curves. Sam was stunned and admittedly completely turned on, thinking then that if he ever died, he hoped he'd come back as the fabric of her dress, wrapped around her luscious body.

"Dibs on black dress," he heard Devon say and Sam shook his head, his eyes never leaving the girl.

"All yours." He replied dazedly. Devon was saying something about strategy but Sam couldn't be bothered to listen. He couldn't stop looking at her, studying her every inch as if he would miss something if he looked away. He watched as she and her friend slowed down, talking and laughing as they caught their breath. And suddenly the girl was walking in his direction. She moved past them and passed the bar, his eyes on her the entire time. He watched as she entered the restroom around the corner. He tried his best to mentally block the budding fantasy of joining her there and bending her over against the sink. _You don't even know her name, Sam. _He thought, his gaze still locked on the restroom door she was behind.

"Try to keep your eyes in your head," He heard a voice say. He turned abruptly to find _black dress _standing tall before them. He chuckled lightly.

"Your friend's gorgeous," he told her. And she smiled mockingly.

"Tell me something I don't know." She said. "_You,_" She began, pausing to gesture to Devon. "Dance with me." She demanded and Devon happily obliged, following her out onto the dance floor. Sam laughed as Devon attempted to remain cool while she pressed her ass against him. Sam gave him a mocking thumbs up as he chuckled. It wasn't until his eyes shifted only a little to the left that he found the girl in the red dress leaning comfortably on the bar. He eyed her for a moment, watching her as she observed her friend dancing. He didn't know what strategy Devon had in mind, but back in Tennessee, talking to girls only required that you do one thing; _talk to them. _So then he was moving towards her. He stood quietly next to her, closer to her than she was obviously expecting because she immediately responded. She turned quickly to meet his gaze and he smiled softly.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He offered. And she blinked.

"The drinks are free here." She said blankly. Sam faltered, blinking rapidly and pushing off of the bar nervously.

"Well they've gotta cost money somewhere," he replied. Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, what is thi—are you supposed to be asking me out for drinks right now?"

"Is that what you—did you wanna go out for drinks?" He retorted jokingly. And if he'd blinked, he would have missed the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips for a moment.

"Are you even old enough to buy drinks?"

"Are you?" Sam deflected.

The red dress shrugged.

"No," she said.

"What about dinner, then?"

"They've got food here," She replied.

"They've got _snacks_ here. I'm talkin' pasta and seafood and expensive fountain drinks—the whole nine yards." He said. Sam smiled as she laughed softly.

"Thanks—" she paused, as if waiting for something.

"_Sam_." He provided.

"—but no thanks." She said and then she was walking away.

"Wait!" He called after her over the music. "What's your name?" He shouted, but to no avail as she quickly became lost in the crowd.

MERCEDES' POV

She'd set her up. It was obvious now. It had been a mistake telling Alicia that there was a guy by the bar watching her dance—she should've known that Alicia would immediately pounce on the opportunity to try and get her laid; it had become one of her short term goals. Alicia loved setting short term goals and reaching them as soon as she could. Not even a minute after Mercedes had very discreetly pointed him out, she'd claimed that Mercedes' lipstick had smudged. Stupidly, she'd believed her and rushed to the bathroom only to find that her make-up was still completely in check. When she returned, it hadn't surprised her in the least that Alicia had taken off with the guy's friend, leaving her alone by the bar only a few feet away from _Sam. _He had to have had the fullest pink lips she'd ever seen on a white man. Sam, who she could admit smelled amazing and was ridiculously good looking. She knew she was attracted to him the moment she felt him looking at her dancing. An instant pull arose and tugged so hard that when she finally looked his way, it was almost like she knew he'd be standing there even though she'd never seen him. At the bar, he had been standing so close to her that she could feel the static from each of them trying to collide. She could hear a hint of a southern drawl when he spoke and if she'd had any interest in getting to know him, she'd have asked where he was from. But as attractive as he was, she didn't want to be interested. She'd spent a whole four years trying to make a relationship that wasn't meant to last work. For most of it, she'd thought they were meant to be and she'd been so horribly wrong. She wasn't ready to take the chance again—to fall in love and be let down. And she didn't understand the point of casual dating. So she poured all of her into school, her job at _Guess_, and AKA. Love could wait. And so could one night stands—which is what she figured Sam was looking for anyway. She knew his type—the funny, goofy, good-looking guy. She only half regretted not taking him up on his offer for dinner when her stomach growled as she walked away from him. She chatted with a few of her sorority sisters in the large common area, waiting for Alicia to finally realize that her plan hadn't worked and she could stop using Sam's friend. But after a half hour she walked back to the dance floor to find her but instead found her sitting at a table laughing with-and leaning rather comfortably on—Sam's friend. Mercedes' brows furrowed in confusion as she walked towards them.

"Well this is a surprise." She said. They looked up at her, Alicia still in mid-laugh. _This guy must be a damn comedian. _She thought.

"Oh, hey girl! I couldn't find you." Alicia said just as Mercedes noticed the guy's hand resting on Alicia's lap. Her eyebrow twitched a bit. _Doesn't really seem like you were looking for me either. _Mercedes simply nodded. "The music got lame so we decided to sit down and have a few drinks—you wanna join us?" She offered. Mercedes cringed at the thought of being a third wheel.

"I'm Devon." The guy said, reaching his hand out to her.

"Mercedes," she returned as they shook hands shortly. He wasn't incredibly tall—but he had the dark and handsome part going for him.

"Well that's not _exactly _what I was expecting," she suddenly heard a voice say behind her. She couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach that fluttered at the familiar southern accent. She turned her head to find Sam standing behind her with three glasses in his hands. "But now that I think about it, it suits you." He said as he sat down in the chair nearest where Mercedes was standing. He sat so close to her that if she turned her body even a bit, it would touch him. The static was back. She moved in the opposite direction a few inches and then turned to face him.

"What exactly _were_ you expecting?" She asked him, suddenly curious. He shook his head as he took a long sip of his drink.

"If I tell you now, it won't make sense." He said.

"Tell me, anyway." She replied in a much breathier tone than she'd intended.

He stared at her for a moment as a smile pulled at his large lips. She found it hard not to look at them. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes at herself as she felt her skin suddenly warming beneath his sight. _Pull it together, 'Cedes. _She thought as she looked down at her feet.

"Okay, well," he shrugged before looking up at her. "I don't know, I was thinkin' somethin' like Chelsie or Ambe—why are you making that face?" He asked through a laugh as he noticed Mercedes' face balling up. "What, you don't like those names?"

"It's not that I don't _like _them, they're just not _mine," _she said as she chuckled.

"Well, you wouldn't tell me _yours." _He replied.

"Didn't think I'd ever see you again." She said honestly and he nodded.

"Disappointed?" He asked. Mercedes was silent—only offering a shrug because truthfully, as she looked down at him, she couldn't _feel _anything besides the ever-growing tug in the lowest part of her stomach. She couldn't tell if it was warning her or telling her to pounce. Or both.

"Uh, should we leave you two alone?" Alicia's voice sounded, and that's when Mercedes realized that she and Sam had been staring and smiling silently at each other for almost half a minute. She looked quickly at her best friend and rolled her eyes.

"I'm starving," she said, changing the subject and trying her best not to meet the eyes of the man she could _feel _looking at her.

"Me, too." She heard his voice say and the corners of her lips instinctively twitched.

"Why don't we all go for a bite to eat?" Devon suggested. Alicia nodded.

"You up for it, _Mercedes_?" She heard his deep voice ask next to her as she continued to avoid his gaze. She nodded in agreement while mentally slapping herself for the visceral reaction she was having to the sound of his voice. This was something she'd never felt so quickly before—an attraction that pulled so hard at her that she felt weak. Mercedes Jones was not a woman of weakness nor did she ever plan to be—which is what she told herself over and over as they filed out of the sorority house and packed into Alicia's car.

_I am not weak. _She repeated to herself. But the smell of him so close to her in the back seat crept quickly into her thoughts, threatening to sweep them away completely.


	2. Chapter 2

SAM'S POV

It wasn't exactly breakfast time but there was an iHOP fairly close so they decided to move the party there. He knew he'd probably made an absolute fool of himself on the way there; singing loudly and purposely off-key to all the songs he knew on the radio. But it made her laugh and that was worth it. At the restaurant, Mercedes and Alicia sat across from him and Devon in the booth and he could swear he caught her staring at him while he looked over the menu. He chuckled quietly as she quickly looked down at her menu, a small smile pulling at her lips. Alicia whispered something in her ear then Mercedes laughed and he was a little worried about how quickly he'd come to love that sound. When the waitress arrived, they all ordered their separate drinks and meals.

"By the way, will these be individual checks?" The waitress asked. Devon quickly explained that he would be paying for Alicia's meal and she smiled gratefully at him. The waitress looked to Mercedes and Sam after that. "Individuals for you two?"

"No," Sam said.

"Yes," Mercedes replied simultaneously. Her eyes darted to him quickly when she realized what he'd said. "I'm not gonna let you pay for my food." She said quietly.

"I'm not gonna let you pay for your food either so," he shrugged and looked back to the waitress. "One check, Miss." he told her.

* * *

"Sa-." A visible shove to her leg from Alicia interrupted her protest and she turned to glare at her. The waitress nodded and walked away. Alicia mouthed something to her that Sam couldn't understand but Mercedes didn't fight him on it anymore. They talked and laughed rather loudly together as a group, all of them feeding seamlessly off of each other. Sam finished his food in less than ten minutes and Mercedes was shocked.

"Have you not eaten in fifteen years?" She asked him.

"It's the lips," Devon interjected. "Like a _vacuum_. This is why we can't keep groceries in the fridge!" He said and Sam rolled his eyes as the girls giggled.

"Don't start this again. I gave you the money to go shopping last week and you didn't get enough food! _And_ you bought a bunch of unnecessary stuff!"

"Unnecessary?" Devon scoffed.

"Why do we need honeydew melon balls, Devon? What the hell are honeydew melon balls?"

"I wanted to try a recipe I saw on Top Chef!" He exclaimed and Sam simply sighed as Mercedes and Alicia continued to laugh.

"You two are like a married couple." Alicia observed.

"I could never marry him." Devon said as Sam shook his head.

"He doesn't even like to snuggle." Sam added and Mercedes almost spit out her drink. He loved that he could make her laugh. The Sam in Tennessee was never really considered _funny. _He was a naturally goofy guy but at home, no one responded to it. So after a while, that side of him was all but silenced. Being able to make her laugh was just another reminder to him that he was finally becoming his own. It relaxed him.

After they finished eating, they all talked a bit more before they paid and headed out of the restaurant. Mercedes had attempted once more to pay for her meal but Sam ignored her and insisted that the waitress do the same and he saw her roll her eyes.

The night was coming to an end and something that felt like disappointment tugged at him as he sat once again in the back seat next to her. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her yet. The campus was huge and there was an even huger possibility that he'd never see her again after tonight if he didn't get a little more time with her.

"I knew we should've driven my car." He heard her voice say, waking him from a daze he hadn't known he'd entered.

"Ugh! This _never _happens!" Alicia exclaimed as she turned the key in the ignition again. But the car wouldn't start. Sam fought the grin he could feel coming as he got out of the car with Devon. The girls jumped out simultaneously and stood behind them as Sam lifted the hood. Smoke rose up as it opened and Sam's arm instinctively flew up to move Mercedes back. He looked back at her and found her smiling at him—differently than she had the entire night. He returned the smile before quickly turning back to the car.

"Could be the transmission," Devon said and Sam nodded.

"Or a blown head gasket. Either way, you probably can't drive it anywhere else tonight." He told Alicia in the most disappointed voice he could muster up. She sighed deeply.

"The campus isn't too far, is it?" Devon asked. "Let's just walk back."

"Yeah, then me and you can just walk home from there, Alicia." Mercedes suggested to which Sam quickly shook his head.

"We can drive you guys." He said. Mercedes smirked.

"You don't even know where we live, Sam." She told him. He shrugged.

"Where do you live?"

"How do you know I want you to know that?" She said. "You could be some kind of kidnapper or something."

"If you mean that I'm gonna hold you hostage until you tell me where you live 'cause I'm not letting you guys walk home alone in the dark, then yeah, damn straight." He told her and she shook her head as she laughed shortly. He couldn't tell if she was frustrated or amused as he watched her walk to retrieve her purse from the backseat.

"We live in Sandbrooks Apartments. It's literally two minutes away from campus." Alicia announced next to him before moving to take her keys from the ignition. "But I wouldn't mind riding. These heels are lethal." She said through the windshield.

The walk was a lot longer than they had anticipated. The girls were carrying their heels five minutes into it and Sam found it funny that he had to look even further down to make eye contact with Mercedes as they walked and talked with Devon and Alicia walking ahead of them.

"Well if this is gonna work out, I'm gonna need a full time neck masseuse on hand," he said jokingly as he stroked his growing sore neck and she laughed.

"What is that?" She asked, looking up at him.

"What's what?"

"That little twang, what is it?" She asked him and he nodded as he understood.

"_Oh. _That's Tennessee. Where I'm from." He explained and she nodded.

"How'd you end up here?"

"EU has a better Art program than Tennessee State so I transferred. Costing me a good heap of cash but I'm betting it'll be worth it when I'm done."

"How do you like it so far?" She asked him and he shrugged, smiling down at her.

"It's lookin' pretty good right now." He told her, his voice heavy with something he couldn't quite identify and she chuckled and shook her head as she looked away. "What?" He said. She shook her head again as she continued to smile.

"Nothing. You're just funny." She replied. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to take that." Sam said through a grin and she giggled again.

"Neither am I." She told him.

They talked longer as they walked a little further. Among so many other things, Sam learned that Mercedes was a sophomore and that she was pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She told him about her plans to move to New York or LA once she graduated and she giggled when he joked about her leaving him after they had only just met. It seemed like hours that they'd talked and about more things than Sam would have ever predicted.

"I'm pretty sure almost the only thing I don't know about you at this point is your last name," he commented.

"You don't know my favorite color," she tested.

"Considering this whole get-up, I'm gonna guess red."

"Wrong," she declared. "It's actually purple." She told him. "And for your information, I look just as good in that color, too." She said and he chuckled.

"I don't doubt that at all." He replied. She smirked as she looked up at him in silence.

"It's _Jones._" She told him finally and he nodded.

"_Evans_." He replied. "Think I'll have the honor of seeing you in a purple dress one day? Maybe at another restaurant or a movie or something?" He asked and she laughed.

"You think you're s_o_ slick, huh?" She said shaking her head and he chuckled.

"I'm just concerned about whether or not your confidence in this color is reasonable." He lied. She grinned as she shook her head again.

"I see you, Sam Evans." She told him, looking forward as he looked down at her.

"I sure hope you do, Mercedes Jones." He said as they finally approached Devon's car in the housing parking lot. He unlocked the door with his key and Sam opened the back door for Mercedes, disappointment appearing in the pit of his stomach again.

"How gentlemanly!" Devon exclaimed. "Think I might reconsider marrying you." He said as he sat in the driver's seat next to Alicia and they all laughed. Devon wasted at least five minutes looking for his wallet that he later realized he'd left upstairs. He ran quickly to their dorm to retrieve it, leaving the three of them in the car. Mercedes was quiet, visibly exhausted as she fell quickly asleep before Devon even made it back to the car. It wasn't long before she was out cold and her head fell to rest on his shoulder. He found it hard not to watch her when she slept. There was something about it that he liked so much. They'd spent most of the night humorously bickering and he'd enjoyed it. But this way, while she was in such a peaceful state, it was just so easy for him to completely take in her beauty. Her brown eyes were shut and her beautiful full lips were slightly puckered as if they longed for his just as he found himself longing for hers in that moment. She twitched quite often but only enough for him to find it to be ridiculously cute. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

He suddenly had a strong desire for them to be somewhere else; somewhere alone in a place as stunning as she. Where he could lie next to her on a satin covered bed, with the sun hitting her bare brown skin at perfect angles through the windows. Where he could softly kiss her lips to rouse her from her sleep, roam her entire body and make love to her until she had only enough energy to sleep again. He froze at the thought of _making love. _He was sure he wasn't in love with her. But something about how soft she appeared in that moment made _fuck _seem inappropriate.

"It's that building right over there," Alicia said pointing. Devon parked the car in front of the apartment and he and Alicia made arrangements to see each other again before she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and hopped out, calling Mercedes' name on the way. She woke from her sleep, her head rising slowly from his shoulder. Her eyes met his on her way up and she smiled sleepily at him. His cheeks warmed at the nearness of her. Then he jumped out of the car, running quickly around to her side to open the door for her. She shook her head.

"You don't have to do that." She said drowsily. He shrugged as he took her hand to help her out of the car.

"Southern hospitality." He replied and she rolled her eyes playfully as he bent his head to kiss her hand softly.

"_Funny,_" She said as she walked past him towards her building and he smiled as he watched her.

"Goodnight, Mercedes!" He called after her.

"Goodnight, Sam." She called back quietly. He walked backwards to the car, taking his place in the front seat next to Devon. They sat in silence for a moment and he could feel Devon staring at him.

"You know you're completely whipped, ri-?"

"Drive the car." Sam interrupted.

"Ok." Devon breathed, throwing his hands up in innocence. The truth was Sam knew that something was different—that something had changed the moment he saw her. But he didn't know if he believed in that sort of thing and he didn't know if he was ready to either.

MERCEDES' POV

It hadn't been her intention to fall asleep on his shoulder. In fact, the whole night had just been one long string of unintentional occurrences _occurring_ one after the other. It was three in the morning when she'd gotten home. She lay in her bed, rethinking her day. When it had first begun, she hadn't expected for it to end with her wrapped in her sheets with butterflies fluttering wildly and continuously in her stomach. She hadn't expected to find herself staring at a man she had only just met from across the table—noticing his every detail; his olive green eyes, the curves of his full pink lips, the gentle stubble that peppered his jaw. He made her laugh endlessly throughout the night. But he was also one of the most frustrating men she'd ever met and she'd only known him for less than a day. She was so used to making all the decisions—to being in control. But in the span of about six hours, he'd taken that away from her. He made her feel _smaller. _But in a way that she only _wished _she could honestly deny she enjoyed. She remembered his arm flying up to protect her from the smoke. It was in that moment that a heartstring was pulled.

She didn't understand it. It was all happening too fast and she wasn't sure if she wanted it to. She liked the strength she'd given herself. She liked that she was able to take care of herself. She got lonely sometimes but she couldn't imagine becoming submissive. What bothered her most, though, was that he hadn't seemed to want that from her. He _liked_ to argue with her. Most guys she dated had been thrown off completely by her tendency to speak her mind. But he'd proven that he wasn't bothered by it all in just a few hours. She hadn't expected to reveal so much to him about herself; she wished she could blame that on the alcohol, but it had been _hours_ since she'd drunken last. Something between them made it easy to share her thoughts with him. She'd told him so much that she couldn't even remember it all. She realized then as she lay in the bed that she hadn't learned a lot about him, yet she still felt like she _knew _him. Everything had been so _unexpected._ She hadn't expected that she would wake in the car with the scent of him so close to her. And she definitely had not expected to find herself searching for that same scent in her skin somehow at that moment as she lay in her bed. She blamed it on a lack of sleep. She wrapped her arms around her pillow and pulled it close, closing her eyes tight to summon slumber, and fighting her stirring imagination as she found a hint of his scent in her hair. She prayed for sleep and it came, and she just _knew_ she'd awake fresh and with her mindset restored.

But she'd been completely wrong.

Sleep had not been an escape for her at all.

Her dream had consisted of his touch and nothing else. She never even saw his face, only felt his hands and his lips on her skin. But she could _feel _that it was him. Even his smell was present. She woke with an ache in her stomach and a need for more of his touch, real or otherwise. But within minutes of her being awake, she was able to come to the little senses she had left. Groaning, she covered her face with her hands. This was too much. She barely even _knew _him.

"This is ridiculous, Mercedes." She muttered to herself. "You are a grown ass woman. You are _not _about to be crushing on some dude." She continued. Spring break was coming up and Alicia was going on a family trip for the week. Mercedes had every intention of using that time alone for relaxation and quiet time. She didn't need these thoughts creeping in to disturb her. She got out of bed and grabbed her bath robe before heading to the shower. She took her time showering, letting the water run on her body, sore from rigid sleep. It was cleansing both physically and mentally. It had been just what she needed. She wrapped her towel around herself before stepping out, but just as she did so, her foot landed in a puddle and slipped, pulling her legs further apart than what seemed natural in different directions and Mercedes could almost _hear _something in her legs snap. She screamed in pain and Alicia was opening the door soon after, finding her in the excruciating position and reaching down to help her get up. But she could barely move her legs without intense agony.

"I can't, I can't." She breathed. Alicia nodded and leaned down to help her up by her waist, keeping her towel intact. With a little help from Mercedes, she was able to get her up and sit her down on the toilet seat, her legs stretched out in front of her. Tears were streaming down Mercedes' face as the pain vibrated through her repeatedly. Alicia rushed out, mumbling something about calling an ambulance, her eyes wild with panic.

The ambulance arrived quickly; thankfully the nearest hospital was only ten minutes away. She was almost screaming in pain by the time she got to the emergency room, partly because the pain seemed to intensify once they had her moving and partly because she wanted to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. Her method worked. She was rushed to a room moments after she arrived and the nurse was there within minutes. They asked her a few questions and promised they'd bring something for the pain right away. She was taken to get an x-ray soon after she was given the medicine. Alicia insisted that she'd wait instead of going back to the apartment.

By the time the doctor arrived after her x-ray, she'd quieted down a bit as the medicine had kicked in. He explained rather quickly that she'd suffered a grade II tear in both her hamstrings along with a severe grade II calf muscle strain in her right leg.

"Trust me, worse things could've happened." He told her. "I'm going to prescribe pain meds for you so you're not screaming like you were today all the time," he said through a laugh. "And I'm also going to put you on moderate bed rest for the remainder of the weekend and most of next week until you're _really _feeling like you can be on your feet. _Do not _end your bed rest early if you are not truly feeling like you should. This will be completely counterproductive and only lengthen the time you'll have to spend in bed. Now, do you have someone who can help you out around your home?" He asked her.

"I will," Alicia chimed in.

"Alicia, you're leaving on Monday." She reminded her. But she only shook her head.

"Not anymore, I'm not. You have to be looked after." She said, pulling out her phone. "I'll call my mom right now."

"_Don't._" Mercedes urged. "I can find someone else to help me even though, Doctor, I really don't think I need it. But I'll do it if it means you won't cancel your trip, Alicia. Your family's been planning this vacation for months. I can't make you do that."

"So who're you gonna call?" Alicia asked.

"I don't know, _someone. _Maybe one of the sisters"

"Most of _them _are leaving, too and you know that. Mercedes don't lie to me. I know you're not gonna call anyone and that's why I'm gonna stay." She rolled her eyes. "I'll be taking care of her, Doctor Hill." Alicia declared.

"Great! I'll send the nurse back in with your prescriptions and also I want you to make sure you go and see your doctor in one week for a check-up, ok?" He told her and Mercedes shook her head reluctantly. "Try to enjoy the rest of your day, alright? Speedy recovery!" He said and then he slipped out of the room. Mercedes crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"I'm not letting you miss that vacation." She told Alicia.

"You don't have a choice. You _can't _walk, Mercedes!"

"Yes, I can! These doctors are so dramatic. Athletes get these kinds of injuries every day and they play the next game."

"True. Except you're _not _an athlete nor are you a doctor so you have no idea what's going on in your legs. Dr. Hill does and he says you can't walk, so you won't be walking. End of story."

"Oh, I didn't know my _mother_ was here."

"She's not but would you like me to call her? We both know she'd say the same thing." Alicia said. And Mercedes just stared straight ahead of her. She knew she was right. Her mother would be all over her if she knew what was going on. Mercedes wouldn't see outside of her bedroom for the rest of the week. She sighed.

"There's no one else who can stay with me? I really couldn't stand to be the reason you miss out on this trip, Licia." She said. And Alicia was quiet for a moment, but Mercedes could feel her eyes on her. She looked to meet her gaze. "What?" She asked. And Alicia shrugged.

"Well, there _is _someone." She mumbled and Mercedes sat up to listen, though she could tell by her tone she wasn't going to like this. "Sam?"

Mercedes scoffed and then laughter took over her.

"Sam?" She repeated. "Sam who I _just _met last night? Who both of us barely know?"

"_I _barely know him. You two couldn't shut up with each other last night. You must know him even a little."

"That doesn't mean I _trust _him to be all up in our apartment. Would you really leave me helpless with some guy?" She asked, almost offended and Alicia sighed before standing up and pacing.

"Alright, I have to tell you something." She mumbled. "I _know _Sam."

"_What?!" _Mercedes exclaimed, dumbfounded. "Biblically?"

"Huh? No!" Alicia replied. "Well, I don't really _know _him but I do know Devon. I met him in the beginning of the year and we've been communicating for a while. I 'met' Sam the night I went and visited Devon at their dorm and Sam was passed out on the couch with The Facts of Life on the TV. Your _favorite _show." She said and Mercedes huffed. "Remember the night when I didn't come home? Yeah, it was then. Anyway, we never actually met but Devon told me all about him. He's seems like a _good _guy, Mercedes. And you two really hit it off, just like I thought you would."

"Like you _thought _we would?" Mercedes eyes widened. "You really set me up?"

"No! I didn't know for sure that he was going to be there but when he was, I won't lie and say I didn't want you guys to meet. It worked out though, didn't it? Look, Mercedes, I trust Devon. And I trust his judgment. At least let Sam come and check in on you once or twice a day. We can set up some weird surveillance system thing if that helps you feel better. I can get the feed directly on my phone—Devon knows how to do something like that, he's a complete tech freak." She promised her. Mercedes shook her head as she crossed her arms upon her chest. She didn't know how she felt about the idea of having an almost complete stranger in her home. But she also didn't know how she felt about the fact that Sam truly didn't feel like a complete stranger to her. The truth was, she didn't believe she would be in physical danger with him around. But she knew it would leave her exposed to whatever feeling was trying to surround her. She knew she'd be vulnerable and she would _need _him. She didn't want that. But she also didn't want to ruin Alicia's plans. She shook her head again before she thoughtlessly breathed out the words;

"I want the surveillance cameras."


	3. Chapter 3

SAM'S POV

"You realize that this sounds like a really, _really_ bad idea, right?" Sam asked Devon. He'd just gotten back from dropping off his Art project to his professor's mailbox early so that he wouldn't have to spend even a little bit of his spring break worried about it when Devon gave him the news about Mercedes and told him about Alicia's odd request.

"She messed herself up pretty bad though, bro. You know I'm doing Alternative Breaks, otherwise I would help, you know, we could take days where one of us goes and looks after her, but I can't just not go. It's not like it's a vacation or something, it's charity." He said.

"I get that, dude, but did you meet this girl? She would barely let me pay for her eight dollar omelet, you actually think she's gonna want me taking out her garbage and sweeping her floors and stuff?" Sam asked rhetorically as he flopped down on the couch.

"Okay, first of all, you're not going there to be a maid, Sam. And secondly, it doesn't matter what she wants at this point. She can't walk and she's gonna need some help with getting food and getting to the shower and doing all the shit we take for granted everyday. That's all." Devon explained and Sam sat blank faced, mouth slightly agape.

"You lost me after _shower_." He muttered.

* * *

"Don't be such a creep, bro."

"I'm not being a creep! I'm worried she's gonna think I'm being a creep. If I go there, I don't want her to think I'm coming to take advantage of her or something."

"Well that's too bad because she probably already thinks that-probably why Alicia has me installing cameras in their apartment later on today."

"Jesus Christ."Sam breathed.

"Look, dude, you can't control what she thinks your intentions are. Just go over there a few times a day and check on her, be the gentlemen your mama raised you to be and keep your hands to yourself, and then leave." He told him as he rummaged the fridge. "This could be the perfect opportunity for you to gain her trust so your whipped ass can stop daydreaming about her and actually be with her. I swear to God, Sam, you ain't been away from the girl for a whole day yet and I've caught you dazing about ten times already. What the hell happened to you last night?"

"Don't try to go in on me, what about you and your secret girlfriend, Alicia?" He said and he heard the fridge shut. He turned to find Devon standing in the kitchen, wiping an apple on his shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered and Sam chuckled.

"Don't play dumb, man, I saw her kiss you and I thought about it for a while and I'm pretty sure I remember seeing her sneaking out of your room a couple weeks ago at six in the morning-you know I wake up early." He told him but Devon was already making a line to his bedroom. "What's up with that, bro?" Sam called after him.

"None of your damn business!" He shouted back just as he slammed his bedroom door closed and Sam could only laugh. This was really one of the weirdest situations he'd ever been put in. He'd only just met the girl and now he was going to be at her apartment every day for a week? _That makes no sense._ He thought. He wanted to see her again; he knew from the moment he said goodnight to her that he'd want to see a lot of her. But he hadn't expected it to be like this. This was weird verging on surreal. So why was he suddenly a little excited about it?

He knew she would be resistant to his help-he could deal with that. He was just afraid that this would be counterproductive to winning a second date with her. She obviously already thought he was some kind of murder rapist, why else would she have asked for the cameras? He didn't want her to think of him that way and he was suddenly irritated at himself for expecting that she would trust him after just one night of them knowing each other.

Devon's advice was solid-be caring but distant, no touching unless it's to help her move somewhere. He could do that. He wanted her to be comfortable and feel more secure with him around than scared. So he could do that. He could keep his quickly growing feelings for her at bay if it meant she would trust him once it was all over. But the problem was, he knew what this all really meant. It meant that he would get to know her better. It meant that her smile and her scent would become familiar and they would be locked in his brain. And that was his other fear; that he would go there and then not ever want to leave.

MERCEDES' POV

She still couldn't believed she'd agreed to this. It was ridiculous-having a man she'd only known for one night half living in her apartment. Nonetheless, he'd be there any second now. It was Monday afternoon and Alicia had left a couple of hours ago. She'd been a great help to Mercedes over the last few days, pulling out a weeks worth of clothes for her, cooking for her, helping her to and from the shower and keeping her on top of taking her medicine. She'd make an amazing nurse some day.

Now Mercedes was sitting on the couch watching TV with her legs resting on the ottoman before her. She'd already spoken with her job and they understood. Devon had come by, as promised, the day before and set up surveillance cameras in the living room and the dining room. Mercedes felt silly for actually letting him do it. She knew they weren't needed. But her pride and stubborn will wouldn't let her admit it. Suddenly she heard the doorknob moving and she cursed herself for wishing she had a mirror on hand to check her face. You do not need to impress him, Mercedes. She told herself. She sat up straight as much as she could, focusing straight ahead at the television screen as she heard the door opening.

"Is it too soon to say 'honey, I'm home'?" He joked behind her and she groaned in response. "I know, this is weird." He said and she heard the sound of his keys dropping onto the counter as he came around to sit next to her. She tried not to tense at his close proximity. The smell of him was back and in full force. And so were those damned butterflies. "I was just making a little ice breaker."

"That's what you came up with?" She asked him, never turning her head to look at him and he shrugged.

"Thought it would at least make you smile. But like I said, I know this is weird and I just want you to know that I'm gonna do whatever I can to make this completely awkward free."

"Good luck with that. This is a recipe for awkward, Sam. I barely know you and you have a key to my apartment."

"I know, you're right. We hardly know each other, I mean-what was your name again?" He joked and she chuckled, finally looking at him as she nudged him in his side with her hand. She pulled back quickly though, stunned by the chills that arose from just feeling his clothed abdomen against the skin of her hand. He was quiet, both of them gazing at each other for a moment too long. Everything beautiful about him was amplified today for some reason. Maybe it was because he'd agreed to do this for her-a stranger he had only met a couple nights ago. That was it. He had come to help her and now she was fighting with the halo effect._ Except he isn't here to help you, girl._ Her subconscious said. _He's here to try and get into your pants just like he was Friday night. You need to get your guard up and protect yourself before you slip up like you very well would've if he had been anywhere near you on Saturday morning after that dream. Pull it together!_ She told herself. And then she looked away. He sighed before he spoke again. "I know what you're thinking. I know about the cameras and I know you don't trust me because why would you? But I'm just letting you know, I'm not here to try and get with you. I'm here to help you and nothing else."

"Right." she muttered incredulously.

"I promise!" He retorted. Then he turned on the couch a bit to face her. "You wanna make a deal?"

"Like what?" She asked as she turned to meet his gaze.

"Like I promise not to get frisky or whatever-even though I hadn't planned to anyway-if you promise to let me help you and not fight me on it."

"How do you know I would even fight you on it?" She asked and he stared blankly at her.

"Mercedes," He said simply.

"What? Don't talk to me like you know me! We don't know each other. You do not know me!"

"I know that you rejected the idea of getting a ride home instead of walking at three in the morning."

"I lived two minutes away!"

"It's still dangerous!" He retorted. "Let's face it, you don't like the idea of anyone taking care of you. And that's fine-well, really it's not fine, but I think we better not get into that." He sighed and she rolled her eyes. "I understand that you're independent, I think that's great. But your legs ain't working, sweetheart. And unless you've got a fresh new set of 'em that you can replace these with until they heal, you need to let me help you." He explained. She exhaled loudly and a silence fell over the room. "Deal?" He offered. "I won't try anything and you won't fight?"

"What if I do fight? Will you get to try something, then?"

"No." He said. "That's not the point of this-I'm just trying to make you feel more comfortable." He told her and she sighed.

"Fine," She mumbled.

"Deal?"

"Deal." she said. And he smiled.

"Good," he replied as he stood from couch, bringing the couch pillows that were behind him with him. "You're gonna need to elevate these," he told her, signaling to her legs. He dropped his hand a bit to touch them and she tensed. He looked up at her, brows raised, awaiting permission and she nodded. Then he lifted her legs slowly, placing the pillows quickly underneath them before gently laying her legs on top of them. She inwardly growled at the chills that warmed the skin on her legs that he'd touched. But she couldn't deny the relief she felt after her legs were resting on the pillows.

"That actually feels a lot better." She admitted as he sat down next to her again, and he nodded.

"Good old RICE." He said and she giggled.

"What?" She asked confusedly.

"RICE." He repeated. "Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate? Ever take a Health class?"

"Yes." she said matter-of-factly. "Guess I just didn't pay attention."

"Yeah, well I can't imagine you ever thought you would need to know how to soothe your broken legs."

"They're not broken." She told him even though she knew he knew that already and he laughed.

"How did you even do this?" He asked. And she shrugged, almost too embarrassed to tell him. She knew he would immediately think of her being naked when he found out she hurt herself after she showered. "Be kinda weird if you actually didn't know." He said and she groaned

"Okay," she began. "I slipped when I was getting out of the shower." She said quickly. And he was quiet for a moment as he looked at her.

"That's it?" He asked and she simply shrugged. "That's it-that's nothing! I once fell and busted my ass going up just three little steps to my uncle's front porch. I sprained my ankle on three tiny steps. At least you had the element of surprise and water, trust me you have nothing to be ashamed of." He told her and she laughed. "Have I become a human being to you yet?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"You were always a human being. Just not one that I didn't fear would abduct me and keep me locked in an underground dungeon."

"You're really not dropping this kidnapper thing, are you?" He said through a chuckle.

"Why should I?" She asked.

"Because what's the point of thinking the worst of people?"

"Until they prove otherwise, I have no reason not to." She told him and he sighed as he shook his head.

"Mercedes Jones, you are something."

"Am I?"

"You are. But you're not a lost cause."

"Oh, thank Heavens," she said sarcastically and he smirked. She hated the fact that she loved this so much-the bantering and bickering. She'd never been as excited about having a conversation with any guy as she was with him.

"Alright, what'd'ya wanna know?" He asked her. "Parents names, home address, birth certificate?"

"Throw in your social security number and we should be set." She added and he shook his head as he laughed.

"How about we start with something a little more trivial? Like my favorite color?"

"I can't hold your favorite color against you in court after I break out of your underground dungeon have you arrested."

"I'm not gonna kidnap you," he said as he chuckled.

"Guilty until proven otherwise," she told him as she stared blankly at the TV.

"It's blue," he told her. "Like my eyes," he added.

"Your eyes are green," she replied reflexively and he smirked, and she could feel his eyes on her but she refused to look at him. She'd fallen right into his trap.

"Guess you might know me a little bit." He said and she shook her head before she murmured,

"So slick."

She could feel herself softening to him as the day went on. She asked him more questions about his life in Tennessee and she learned more about him as the day progressed. Later she refused his help to the restroom until he reminded her of the deal.

"Don't just stand by the door, I'll tell you when to come back!" She shouted from behind the bathroom wall after he'd helped her inside. The idea of him hearing her pee made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Mercedes, you aren't doing anything I don't expect you to do-I have a sister and a human body." He told her.

"Just go!" She yelled back.

"Alright," he retorted quickly but she could hear him chuckling as he walked away from the door.

The sun fell eventually and he made her pancakes for dinner. She was openly dubious about his cooking abilities up until the moment she tasted them. They'd conversed and laughed as they ate them on the couch and afterwards he cleaned up after them.

"You'd better slow down with all those assumptions, Miss Jones, or I'm betting you'll be missing out on a lot of delicious pancakes." He told her as he washed the dishes in the sink.

"I wish you'd stop washing my dishes," she called over to him.

"Ain't gonna happen." He called back.

He left at around ten that night after he'd helped her to the bathroom for her shower and back out and into her bedroom. A tug at her core that felt like yearning stirred as she lay in bed that night. The day had gone in a way that she hadn't expected it to. She hadn't known it was possible to actually talk to someone for so long without running out of things to say. He'd been a gentlemen and a great help-better than she'd predicted. He was gentle and caring and funny. He'd successfully kept up his end of the deal that day and Tuesday she let him stay the night on the couch after he'd voluntarily fixed the leak in their tub. He was on his best behavior, never laying a lustful hand on her. It wasn't until Wednesday morning that she wished he would.


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

MERCEDES' POV

"_Sam." She breathed as his hands glided up her outer thighs, his head buried deep in the middle of them. His tongue slid slowly up her slit and she could feel her nipples hardening as pleasure rocked through her. She moaned as he looped his arms around her thighs, pulling her even closer as his tongue continued, rousing whimpers and sighs out of her at every turn. When his fingers entered her, she cried out, breathlessly saying his name afterwards. And then he was moving his long fingers inside of her, his tongue never leaving the scene. Her moans were continuous then, her back arching up as her desire ripped through her. She exclaimed as she climaxed and his hands exited her, moving slowly up her body as he climbed onto her, his mouth covering hers as his hand rested on her breast, massaging it gently. She shivered at the feel of his hands on her sensitive peaks. He bent to kiss her neck softly and her lips traced his outer ear before she whispered;_

"_Make love to me,"_

* * *

And then she was waking up, her body almost shivering. But she was all alone in her bed. It was 12 in the afternoon and she was all alone in her bedroom. She closed her eyes again, trying to calm her nerves. But when the soft sound of snores trailed beneath her door and into her room, her ears perked up like an excited puppy's.

He was there.

She'd almost completely forgotten that he was there. All that separated her from the man who had just given her the orgasm of a lifetime in her dream was a thin wall and a door. She just wanted to _see _him. She pushed off of the mattress to move herself to the side of the bed, and then she turned her body, letting her feet touch the ground. Pain shot up both of her legs the moment she applied pressure to them. She bit her lip to bite back the bubbling scream in her throat as she took a step towards her door. Only three more and she'd reach it. She pushed herself, the pain increasing with every stride forward. She opened the door quickly when she reached it, stepping out of it and into what she hoped was a dream, too.

There he was. Sprawled out on her couch, shirtless and beautiful. She almost forgot about the pain in her legs as she examined him-his bare tight chest, the way his jeans were hanging low on his hips revealing a line that she knew led to the part of him that she never imagined craving so much. She wanted to kiss him up and down. But she wasn't stupid. This had trouble written all over it-trouble that she didn't want. As much as she wanted to feel him all over her just as she had in the dream, she knew better. She moved to turn around and go back but the pain returned in an instant and more intense than ever. The loud cry was out before she could stop it. She could hear him stir quickly on the couch and then he was by her side, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, a not-so-friendly tone coating his voice. Suddenly Mercedes felt herself leaving the ground as he picked her up and carried her in a cradling position. She remembered then that she was wearing her see-through short white night gown and she could feel his bare chest against her. Her body was warm and her desire had tripled. This was the last thing she needed.

"Sam, put me down!" She demanded.

"Hush," he growled back as he lay her on the couch softly. "What were you doing?" He asked her again.

"I was just trying to get a glass of water." She lied.

"Why didn't you just call my name?"

"Because it's not a big deal! You were sleeping." She said, averting her eyes from his incredibly sexy bed-hair and his chiseled chest.

"It _is _a big deal! You could've really hurt yourself even more-what if I hadn't been here?" He almost shouted, clearly upset. But she couldn't focus.

"Put your shirt on," she said almost inaudibly. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Put your shirt on." She repeated, louder this time. He looked down at his exposed chest and chuckled lightly before looking around for his shirt. He paused suddenly and then turned to look at her.

"It's underneath you."

SAM'S POV

He honestly had forgotten that he'd taken his shirt off. The living room had gotten quite warm that night which he guessed was the reason he'd slept in so late. It had been an unconscious decision to take it off. And he definitely hadn't meant to be half naked in her face that morning. In the midst of his panic at the sound of her shriek, his sense of surroundings had left him and all that was left was her and the fact that he needed to get her off of her feet. He hadn't even had the time to realize what she was wearing until he was staring down at her. The almost sheer white night dress hugged her hips and exposed her lush thighs. His eyes roamed slowly up the length of her body before he could stopped them and he hoped she wouldn't notice. H was supposed to be a gentlemen. And he'd been succeeding so far. It wasn't easy being there with her everyday, wrapping his arms around her and feeling her against him constantly when he helped her moved. He went to war with his thoughts each time he walked her back from her shower. He knew that nothing lay beneath the bath robe she wore and it would be so easy just to pull it loose and let it fall to the ground.

But no.

He had to be a gentlemen.

"My shirt's underneath you." He repeated after she stared blankly at him.

"_Oh._" She said.

"Let me just-," he trailed off as he leaned down, closing the space between them as he reach his hand beneath her upper back. She lifted a bit to allow him more access to his shirt. He didn't pause until he found her eyes locked on him-there was something in them that he'd never seen in them before. His gaze locked with hers, their bodies so close that he could feel her chest rising and falling against his. He watched her take slow breaths, her eyes never leaving his.

Until they did.

They flashed quickly down to his lips and back up to meet his gaze again. He figured it out, then-what the look in her eyes had been: desire. He moved quicker then, pulling his shirt right from beneath her and then standing up to put it on swiftly. This was something that he couldn't take-her longing for him just as much as he longed for her. He didn't know if he could resist her if she didn't fight him, and if she encouraged it? He wouldn't make it through the day. Distance was necessary and quick. He placed her legs on the pillows on the ottoman and then he was stepping into his shoes at the door.

"I'll go get you something to eat," he said and then he was gone. He ended up at the supermarket around the corner, figuring it would give him more time to cool off if he had to walk around a mundane grocery store for half an hour. He picked up groceries for lunch and dinner, all the while praying that she would have somehow changed out of that white dress by the time he got back, even though he knew it was unlikely. He also bought Monopoly and Scrabble, hoping they could spend the last three days together playing them and that it would distract him from the burning desire he had to take her in every possible position.

He drove back to his dorm first, relieving himself to the thought of her deliciously soft and curvaceous body as he showered and then brushing his teeth before returning to her apartment. In the parking lot, he spoke inwardly to himself. _Just keep it together, Sammy. Just a few more days. _He promised himself. And then he grabbed all the groceries from the back seat and headed up the stairs.

"Sorry I took so long," he said as he stepped through the door. "I dropped by the campus to clean up." He explained, placing the groceries on the counter.

"Oh, you could've done that here-what are those?" She asked as her eyes landed on the bags on the counter. He stared blankly at her for a moment.

"Groceries," he said slowly.

"I _know _what they are, Evans. Who paid for them?" She asked him, venom coating her words.

"Oh dear God," he groaned as he placed the gallon of milk in the refrigerator.

"I didn't ask you to do that!" She said too loudly.

"You didn't have to!" He shouted back, closing the refrigerator door with much more force than he'd intended. He saw her jump at the sound of it. He took a deep breath and then walked to sit next to her on the couch, relief settled over him when he found that she'd covered her legs with a blanket.. "Look, it's no big deal. I've been eating here, too. I don't see why I shouldn't put a few things in the fridge."

"Because it's _mine._" She said.

"What do you want, me to pay you for half of it?"

"Stop trying to pay for things!"

"_No. _I can't do that." He replied. She groaned in frustration. "Look, just like you were probably raised to be independent-which is great-I was raised to pay for everything the woman in my company needs." He explained. "Not something that I can just _turn off_." He told her and she shook her head.

"Maybe you should just leave then." She said and he chuckled as he stood from the sofa and headed back to the kitchen.

"Nope, can't do that either." He said as he retreated to putting away the groceries.

"_Ugh, _you can be _so_ annoying." She mumbled.

"Didn't hear you saying that when you were checking me out earlier." He retorted and she scoffed.

"Boy, you have lost your mind. That did _not _happen_._"

"But it did. Now, do you want hamburger helper or chicken helper for dinner tonight, perv?" He asked her and he heard her laugh quietly.

"Why don't you shove them both up your cocky-" A knock at the door interrupted her. His brow lifted in curiosity as she turned to looked at the door.

"Were you expecting someone?" He asked and she shook her head negatively. He dropped the bag he had in his hand back on the counter and then headed for the door. He looked through the peephole finding a man in a FedEx uniform standing there. "Delivery," he called back to her. He opened the door and the man asked for a Mercedes Jones.

"Right here!" She shouted back and Sam opened the door wider to reveal her on the couch.

"She's handicapped." He said and he heard her suck her teeth.

"Just sign this for her, then." The man told him. He obeyed and was quickly handed a medium sized box before the man headed back to his truck.

"It's from a-," he paused as he examined the box, closing the door and walking in her direction. "-Derrick Harrison?" He continued. And he watched her face immediately change as he sat down next to her. He couldn't identify the expression that took over but he didn't like it. "Somebody important?" He asked as he handed her the box. She stared down at it for a moment in silence before finally shaking her head.

"Used to be." She said.

MERCEDES' POV

_How the hell did he even get my address? _She thought as she looked at the box in her hands. She already knew what it was but she was still surprised. She hadn't spoken to her ex in almost a year and she liked it that way. She had no interest in his life anymore and she didn't want him knowing anything about hers either. A cloud of frustration settled over her.

"Do you wanna just open it later?" Sam asked her, genuine concern in his voice.

"No it's just-it's just some of my _really _old stuff that I never took back from him. He told me he'd send it like a year ago." She shrugged. "It's nothing." She said quietly as she placed it on the end table next to her.

A silence fell between them and he sighed.

"Well, I'm starving. How 'bout some PB&amp;J's?" He offered as he headed back to the kitchen. She nodded silently as the cloud of frustration thundered over her head. Then she chuckled quietly as it occurred to her how much she'd actually needed this. An hour and a half ago she'd been ready to jump the bones of a man she'd only just met a few days ago-with two injured legs. She hadn't slept with Derrick until they were together for two and a half years and after it happened, she never really craved it the way she craved to feel Sam against her like she had earlier that day. She remembered loving Derrick though, and she never denied it. But after everything that happened, him making an appearance in her life n any way shape or form at any point was the perfect way to squash her libido.

SAM'S POV

They ate the sandwiches mostly in silence, the sound of the TV filling in the space where their conversation usually would be. Afterwards she was quiet as she watched TV and he surfed the internet on his phone. Hours went by with not a word spoken between them besides when she needed to go to the restroom. He knew the package was still bothering her but he wasn't sure how to help besides distracting her. It wasn't until the sun had set that he remembered he'd bought the games.

"Scrabble or Monopoly?" He asked her, one of them in each hand as he turned off the TV and stood tall in front of it. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Distracting you." He said.

"That's not what you're here for." She reminded him.

"Yeah, well I'm volunteering." He said. "Monopoly it is," he added quietly as he placed it on the dining room table. He moved to quickly help her get to a chair at the table, going back to retrieve her pillows and placing them on a chair in front of her before lifting her legs to rest on them. He gave her the top hat symbol that she requested and they set up the board quickly together. Suddenly he felt her eyes on him as he arranged the money.

"What?" He asked.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you be banker." She told him.

"Bu-"

"Give it up, Evans." She said, her hand outstretched and he chuckled as he handed it to her.

"Still gonna lose." He muttered and she laughed shortly and sarcastically. He loved how competitive she was. Frankly, it reminded him of his mother. His mom was feisty, sharp-tongued and hilarious. She spoke her mind when she needed to and she never let anyone walk all over her. So much of her, he found in Mercedes. He realized then that that was partly why he liked her so much.

Her competitiveness was on full display as they played but she wasn't sore about when she lost something. She just kept playing and having fun, laughing when he did an impression of the monopoly man.

"_So _bad." She said as she giggled. Her laugh was infectious and suddenly he was laughing too. They played for hours before he realized he was starving again.

"Does this mean you forfeit?" She asked as he rose from the table and headed to the kitchen.

"_No._" He said. "This means I'm gonna _finish _kicking your butt when I'm done cooking dinner." He told her and she smirked. She stayed at the table, watching him as he cooked and they talked more.

"Where'd you learn to cook anyway?" She asked him.

"My mama." He replied simply. "For some reason she thought it was really important that I know how to cook." He shrugged. "Guess it came in handy now that I'm your butler." He said.

"I've been thinking _personal slave _but let's go with that." She said and he chuckled.

Dinner was ready fairly quickly. They conversed about school as they ate and she told him about her experiences as a pledge.

"Wait, so they _didn't _paddle you and make you eat raw liver?" He asked.

"No, Sam," she said once she'd successfully swallowed her drink after she'd almost spit it out as she laughed. "Hazing is illegal." She told him.

"That hasn't stopped a lot of people," He commented and she couldn't disagree. A silence fell between them for a moment and when he looked at her she was smiling into her plate as she played with the little that remained of her food with her fork. "What?" He said and she shrugged.

"I was just thinking, thanks for distracting me today." She said and he grinned immediately.

"No problem," he replied. "I don't know what happened with you and this guy but I'm glad you're happy now." He said. She was quiet, sitting back in her chair. Several moments passed before she spoke again.

"We were together for four years." She told him and his brows lifted in interest. "I was pretty unhappy for almost half of them but," she shrugged. "I figured I was supposed to be a little less excited about us after we were together for a while, you know? So I never said anything, just kinda went with it." She paused. "But things weren't good. I loved him. But things were not good. I would try and talk to him so that we could work on it together but he wouldn't admit that anything was wrong. He wouldn't accept the fact that we were _not _okay until he met someone else and he was happier and he cheated on me for two months."

Sam was visibly pained by what she revealed. He hadn't been expecting it. He'd figured it was a bad break up but not like this.

"I'm sorry, Mercedes." He said honestly.

"It's ok." She mumbled. "That was a year and a half ago. I was practically still in high school," she said and laughed shortly. "I just wanted you to know. For some reason." She mumbled, shrugging again as she sighed. "I think I'm ready to take a shower now." She told him and he nodded, standing to his feet and stretching a bit before helping her up.

Sam cleaned the kitchen as she showered, almost disappointed that she wasn't there to bicker at him about cleaning her dishes. He found himself smiling as he thought about the last few days. He liked the routine they had and suddenly he feared how it would be once she was better-once she could walk and take care of herself. Once she didn't _need _him anymore. He hated the thought immediately. He wanted her to get better, but he didn't want to become inessential in her life. He wanted to be around for her even after this was all over-he wanted to cook for her and maybe even cook _with _her. He wanted _more. _His biggest fear had unraveled right before him. There he was in an apartment that wasn't his, with a woman he couldn't have, and he didn't want to leave. In fact, _leaving _was his new biggest fear.

He sat on the couch after he'd helped her from her shower and to her bedroom, waiting for her to finish dressing so they could watch The Facts of Life marathon together.

"Sam!" He suddenly heard her voice call out. He hopped up and headed quizzically for her bedroom. He stopped at the door, knocking to make sure she wanted him to come in.

"It's open," her voice said. He opened it skeptically and entered to find her sitting at the end of her bed, still only in her bathrobe. "This is gonna sound weird but, I can't find the pajamas Alicia laid out for me to wear to bed and I was wondering if you could look for them, please? They should be in the top or second drawer." She told him and he nodded.

"Sure," he muttered as he approached the dresser. Now, he wasn't a creep. But he couldn't deny the ache he felt in his groin when he laid eyes on the bras and panties that were in the top drawer. Just to think that those tiny pieces of fabric had been against her skin-it was enough to excite him. "Not in here," he mumbled as he moved to the next drawer, trying to keep his arousal at bay. His eyes landed on a blue pajama dress moments after he opened the drawer and he pulled it out.

"Would this work?" He asked her.

"It should," she said just as he turned to face her. She reached her hand out to him and he pulled her to her feet just before he handed her the dress. He wasn't prepared for the closeness between them after he stood her up. Her body was against his again, just as it had been that morning. He couldn't do this again. He backed away promptly before he lost his nerve and then he was walking away. Her voice and a swift grab to his hand stopped him quickly though-the tone that coated her voice catching his attention. He hadn't heard it from her before but he recognized it immediately.

"_Sam_," she said hoarsely. And he froze. He turned to face her, her hand never leaving his as chills shot up his arm. And his world all but flipped upside down when she slowly placed his hand on the loose knot that held her bathrobe together. She looked up at him, desire clouding her eyes again. She used his hand to pull the knot a loose slowly, and then it was open, her skin so close to being completely exposed. But he couldn't look down-he wouldn't look down. If he saw her naked body, there would be no going back. He would _not _look down.

Suddenly her hand was on him, sliding gently beneath his shirt and up his chest. He watched as she looked down at where her hand was as it glided up his skin. He was tingling, his skin warming beneath her cool fingertips. Her eyes fell onto his lips then, before she met his gaze once more. He knew the words before she even whispered them;

"Kiss m-,"

"I _can't_," He interrupted her.

"Please," she whispered. And her begging was almost his undoing. But he couldn't. He was a man of his word and he wouldn't screw this up.

"I can't." He repeated as her hand other hand slid up his arm, reaching his neck and moving slowly up the back of it, stopping to rest in his hair. Her touch was crippling, his body felt _weak _beneath it. He shook his head. "We made a deal; I _can't _touch you." He breathed. But his whole being was begging to do exactly that. He wanted to touch every part of her, and he wanted her hands on everything he had to give her.

"Fine," she said. "Then don't touch me." She continued and he was almost disappointed. But that disappointment was quickly replaced with surprise when she suddenly crashed her lips into his.

MERCEDES POV

_How did I get here? How did I end up kissing him like some crazed horny pre-teen?!_

_Why does this feel so good? _She thought as her lips moved against his. Her stomach was flipping as his mouth caressed hers, fire rising inside of her. And when his tongue entered her mouth, she moaned against his lips. He felt like _everything _she needed. She couldn't even feel pain as she stood on her legs.

_Touch me. _She thought as he kissed her. His hands hadn't made contact with her skin since the moment their lips had collided. Somehow it only intensified her longing for him.

"Put your hands on me," she whispered against his lips.

"_No_." He replied promptly and she whimpered as he kissed her again.

"_Touch. Me._" She pleaded before kissing him again.

"No." He growled just after he sucked her bottom lip. It was torture. She needed to feel him against her and she needed it now. All inhibitions and fears were out the window. She'd spent her entire shower stupidly fantasizing about all the ways she wanted him. And when she got out, the fantasies won and her worries lost. She was on a mission the moment she stepped foot into her bedroom. But he was being a stupid gentlemen when she wanted nothing more than for him to fuck her senseless on her bed-injured legs and all. She kissed him once more as a new plan unfolded in her mind. Slowly, she dropped the bathrobe from her shoulders smiling as she watched him fight the urge to look at her. She sat on the bed and moved backwards to the headboard, naked and yearning. But she could see he was still fighting.

"Look," she said. And he shook his head. "_Look _at me, Sam." She almost demanded. She watched him inhale deeply and sharply, biting his lip. Then his head slowly lifted and his eyes fell on her bare skin. And she could swear she saw his pupils expand.

"Fuck it," he murmured as he quickly pulled his shirt over his head. And then he was climbing onto the bed next to her, careful not to lean on her legs. His hand touched her cheek first, stroking it as he kissed her deeply. But he obviously wanted to explore. His hand roamed slowly down her neck and her shoulder, making an agonizingly slow line for her breast. Her skin was on fire beneath his touch. And when he finally reached her swollen breast, she moaned in a mixture of pleasure and relief. He massaged his hand against it, her sensitive nipples pressing against his hand. Kissing his beautiful lips felt like sex in itself. He kissed her a bit longer before his lips parted from hers and instead traced the path his hands had made from her neck to her shoulders, to her aching peaks. He sucked one into his mouth as he kneaded the other with his fingers. She was whimpering in pleasure as her thighs became wet with her desire. She could feel him watching her as she moaned while he swirled his tongue around her nipple. Her back arched, pressing herself further into his mouth but soon she felt his hand rest on her stomach, pressing her softly back down to the mattress before it moved slowly down, each light caress of his hands to her sensitive skin sending bolts of lustful longing to her sex. She went to spread her legs further, ignoring the pain she felt. But his words stopped her.

"Don't move," He breathed. And then his hand was on her, pressing down against her clit as his mouth moved to torture her other nipple. She bit her lip to suppress the moans that threatened to escape her. "Let me hear you," He whispered just before he kissed her lips shortly, his hand still moving expertly against her. Soon his two fingers were entering her as his tongue moved against her swollen bud again and she cried out because the dream had done him no justice. Her _everything _was alive as his fingers moved inside of him. Her skin was tingling, her toes curling and her body shaking as she rushed to her climax, biting her lip again.

"Let me hear you, baby." He whispered once more. And the combination of his voice and his lips and his fingers pushed her to the end-she came hard, pleasure ripping through her, her body wriggling with it. And then he was kissing her again, deep and long. She was trying to come down from the high but she couldn't-she still wanted him. She reached down to unbutton his jeans but he stopped her immediately, his lips parting from hers.

"Just you tonight." He told her. She frowned. She wanted him inside of her and she also wanted to see him come apart just as she had. He shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you." He said and suddenly he was pulling her backwards into him, close and comfortably wrapping his arm around her. He nuzzled his nose in her hair and she smiled.

"Are we cuddling right now?" She asked and he chuckled.

"I think so." He muttered back. A comfortable silence fell between them before he broke it. "Do you want me to go?" He asked her and a bubble of panic suddenly rose in her core.

"_No_." She said quickly and paused. "Stay." She whispered and she felt him nod. She could feel him hard against her backside and she frowned. She felt bad about him going to bed this way. She reached her hand around to grabbed his erection and she _felt _more than _heard _him groan lustfully into her neck. But only a moment passed before he pulled back and gave her her hand back and whispered sleepily,

"Ain't gonna happen, Jones."

And she smiled, feeling blissfully happy and warm. She knew that this would probably be a mistake and that the next morning would be painful both physically and mentally for her. But with his bare chest against her back, his arms wrapped around her, and his stubble rubbing gently against her skin, she couldn't find it in her to care. Not even a little bit.


	5. Chapter 4

SAM'S POV

He didn't regret it.

All that time he'd been thinking that becoming physical with her during that week would be a mistake. He thought that he would ruin his chances if he slipped up but in the end it had been her who made the first move. In the beginning he tried to resist. He tried so hard not to touch her, not to even _look _at her. But her hands, her pleading voice, and her beautiful body weakened him until he couldn't fight anymore. He had no idea what she'd been thinking when she called him into her room, or when she guided his hand to untie her bathrobe. And he had no idea what she would think when she saw him in the morning.

But he didn't regret it.

Waking up to her soft skin against his was quite possibly the best thing he'd ever experienced. He wasn't sure exactly how the night before had even happened or how he'd been able to keep himself together as he pleasured her with his fingers, but he had. Even more shocking was that he'd fallen asleep peacefully, with no urge to relieve himself, no urge to reach his own satisfaction—pleasing her had been more than enough. The whole event was just so unexpected but he was quickly learning that most things with her would be; like the way he felt for her. He could feel a big shift between them that morning. She was snuggled up close to him, but he wanted her _closer _somehow; as close as they could possibly be. He'd almost forgotten that they'd only met a few days ago as he inhaled the scent of her hair. He felt like he'd known her forever and he wondered then how he didn't miss her before he ever even met her.

He felt her shiver as he ran his fingertips up her arm and he smiled.

"That tickles," she said sleepily and he chuckled quietly.

"You're gonna wish you had not told me that," he replied. She groaned in response as his hand began to roam up the side of her body. She sighed.

"I dreamed about you." She breathed and his brows rose in curiosity.

"_Really_?" He asked as he turned her around to face him. "Did I die?"

"_No_," she giggled, shoving him playfully on the shoulder before allowing her hand to slide slowly down his arm. "You were just holding my hand." She said quietly and a smile reflexively spread across his lips. He took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

"Like this?" He asked and she nodded. He kissed the back of her hand softly just before he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. It was her who pulled him back, deepening the kiss as she moaned softly. Her lips were plump and soft against his, sending tingles to his groin. He wouldn't be able to stop himself a second time around. He placed his hand on her cheek, stroking gently with his thumb before pulling his lips away from hers.

"Did I do anything else in this dream?" He almost whispered and she nodded as her eyes slowly opened.

"You cooked me pancakes." She joked.

"Pancakes?" He repeated.

"And bacon." She added.

"_Whoa, _dream big." He replied, making her chuckle and she shoved him playfully again.

"Excuse me, what am I paying you for if it's not to make me breakfast?" She asked him and his mouth fell open.

"You're not paying me _at all_," He laughed.

"I remember _trying _to last night but you refused," she told him, kissing him softly at the corner of his lips and he groaned quietly.

"That's 'cause I didn't wanna hurt your broken legs."

"_Not _broken!" She shouted.

"Yeah, yeah." He breathed. "How are they feeling today anyway?" He asked and she only shrugged in response. "Maybe we could try to stretch 'em out today." He suggested and her eyes widened a bit. "I meant by _walking_." He laughed as she pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. He had the strongest of urges to suck it into his mouth as he stared down at it. But he couldn't. If there was any chance of them getting out of that bed that morning, he _couldn't. _"Okay, I gotta get out of here," he said as he moved to get out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" She giggled, reaching to pull him back. It was obvious she knew exactly what she was doing.

"Just put this back on," he told her as he stood, lodging her bathrobe at her. "Put that on and put a paper bag over your face or something. I'm gonna go cook breakfast."

MERCEDES' POV

_Sam._

_Evans._

She didn't even know his middle name or if he had a middle name, but she knew one thing; she couldn't get enough of him. She'd woken up multiple times throughout the night, each time confirming what she couldn't believe was real—that he was there next to her and that they'd almost had sex. It was insane. He'd only been there for three days before she couldn't resist him any longer. But it didn't even feel rushed—it only felt _right. S_he'd never gotten to know anyone the way she had with him. And she'd never revealed so much about herself in such little time with anyone else. He felt almost like a best friend to her. Given the circumstances, they'd been forced to become comfortable with each other very quickly but still, she hadn't expected it to be so _easy. _She was in deep after just a few days of laughing and arguing and just one night of him delivering a mind-blowing orgasm and now she couldn't stand the thought of him leaving. His presence felt imperative to her—so much so that even as she lay in bed while he cooked breakfast, she longed to have him next to her again. Her cheeks burned as the entire day before played through her mind. The one thing that could've spoiled the day for her—he'd made sure she didn't think about it for the rest of the day. _How did we get here? _She thought. _How did I get here?_

Just days before this, she would've never done anything that seemed so thoughtless. She would've never jumped so quickly. She wasn't blind to the fact that it was a risk and she'd never been the type to take risks. Having him around brought out things about her that she'd never even known existed, but she was also more herself than she'd ever been with anyone. She could recall being with Derrick and constantly feeling like she had to prove something—like she had to give him a reason why she was strong-willed. With him, if she ever got snappy or spoke her mind about something, he'd say she had an _attitude _or she was _bossy. _Maybe that would explain why everything with Sam felt so foreign and good; because she wasn't trying to prove anything to him, she wasn't trying to be anyone else but herself. But he'd also shown her in just a few days that being a strong woman didn't require doing everything yourself. It still scared her to give that up and she honestly didn't know if she could. But she could hear him singing in the kitchen as he cooked breakfast for them, and just the sound of his voice and the thought of him shirtless in her kitchen was giving her butterflies. She could think about all the details later. Right now, all she wanted was to have him in bed next to her again. Who knew the whole day before was leading to last night? She remembered wanting him so badly that morning that she'd all but gone deaf when he'd tried to tell her his shirt was beneath her—all she could see was his bare chest and all she could think was that she wanted to kiss it all over.

_Wait. _She suddenly thought as she sat up. _Were we in the living room when that happened? Holy shit!_

"The cameras," she whispered out loud, her eyes wide. She reached over to grab her phone off of the nightstand, unlocking it and dialing Alicia's number quickly. "Pick up the damn phone," she whispered as the phone rang.

"_Hello_?" Alicia half-sang after the third ring.

"Hey Alicia, h—how are you?" She stuttered, unsure of how to ask the question she needed the answer to.

"_Tired. _The Bahamas was a blast but that sun was not a joke. So, what's up? I'm making crepes with my daddy." She told her.

"Oh well, tell him I said hi." Mercedes said, almost too cheerfully. She couldn't stand this, why couldn't Alicia just admit she'd saw Sam almost on top of her on the couch?

"Um, okay. Girl, what is going on with you? Where's Sam?"

"He's—making bacon. Look, Alicia, I wanted to ask you if—have you seen the—did you happen to see anything on the surveillance feed on your phone?" She asked and Alicia was quiet, only increasing the bubbling panic in Mercedes' stomach.

"Um, no? I haven't seen—okay, girl, look. There were no cameras. I mean there are cameras, obviously, but they aren't hooked up to anything." She admitted.

"What?!" Mercedes almost yelled.

"How do you actually think I would've even been able to _use _my phone in the _Bahamas_? We were just trying to make you feel more comfortable, it was a necessary lie."

"Does Sam know that?" She asked quietly.

"_No. _Sam doesn't know. He still thinks you guys are being watched which is good because at least he's keeping his hands to himself, right?" Alicia said.

"Yeah, right!" Mercedes replied, almost too loudly as she laughed nervously. Alicia wouldn't believe it if she told her that she had been the one who couldn't keep her hands to herself.

"Okay, what the hell is going on with you?" Alicia suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I think I can literally hear the phone shaking in your hand, what's going on over there? Is there something that I _needed _to see on the cameras?"

"No, no." She said, shaking her head quickly. "I was just wondering because I was just—look I gotta go Alicia,"

"Don't you dare hang up that phone, Mercedes Jones!"

"Bye!" She said before quickly pressing the "END" button and almost slamming her phone back onto the nightstand. Only moments later, Sam was opening the door, a tray with two plates of pancakes and bacon along with two glasses of orange juice in hand.

"Sneaking off the phone with your boyfriend?" He joked as he sat down beside her, handing her the tray as he took his food and drink off of it, placing his glass on the nightstand next to him.

"_Thank_ you and _no. _That was Alicia." She told him and he nodded as he took a bite of his bacon. "Yeah, I was just checking in with her. Making sure she didn't see anything on the surveillance cameras." She explained as she cut into her pancakes.

"Like what?" He asked.

"Um, like when I was checking you out yesterday morning on the couch."

"_Oh, _so you admit it, now."

"Might as well." She chuckled. "Anyway, she says she didn't. I'm just glad there were no cameras in _here _last night. I don't even want her toknow about it, let alone _see _it." She said, forking a bit of her pancake.

"Well why don't you want her to know about it? She seemed to like me so I mean, it's not like she'll be weirded out by it or someth—,"

"I know, I know. I just, I guess I'm just not ready to tell my best friend how easily I gave it up." She smirked.

"_Gave it up?" _Sam repeated. "Wha—what does that mean?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"I just—,"

"It _sounds _like you're implying that I was begging you for it or something which would be complete bullshit." He told her.

"Well I wasn't saying that but come on, Sam, let's not pretend you weren't hoping to get something out of doing all of this for me." She said, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"I _wasn't._" He said. "I told you when I got here that I was here to _help _you."

"And I believe you. But I still find it hard to believe that you came here for just that reason. I _know _you wanted something out of this and just the fact that I so easily _gave _it to you, I dunno, I don't really want Alicia to know."

"You didn't _give _me anything!" He yelled. Mercedes flinched. She hadn't known until she looked at him that he was actually _mad. _"You know what Mercedes, I _like _you. I _really _like you but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you tell me what _my _intentions are." He told her, sitting his food down on the nightstand as he stood from the bed. He threw on his shirt and headed for the door.

"Sam," she called as he opened her room door to leave.

"The thing is, you're right, Mercedes." He told her as he stood, his hand on the doorknob. "I _did _want something out of this—your trust." He said. "I just wanted, after this week, to be able to see you again outside of this apartment, and I wanted you to _trust _me." He shrugged. "That's all I wanted. " He mumbled and then he was gone. She heard the front door open and close only moments later. The words had come out so easily because she honestly hadn't known that they would hurt him—because she didn't completely think them to be untrue. Well, she didn't at the time. She liked Sam a lot and she knew he liked her. But she couldn't deny that in the back of her mind, she had sort of thought of herself as a conquest for him. Those thoughts had come to surface that morning and he'd responded so unexpectedly by leaving her. Now, instead of feeling warm and happy like she had that morning, she felt cold, achy, and completely alone. And she finally knew the difference between feeling lonely and needing_ someone_.


	6. Chapter 5

SAM'S POV

He hated that he'd left. He just became so angry to know that she could really think so lowly of him. He thought it would've been obvious how much he actually liked her through his actions. But after everything they'd talked about and all the time they'd spent, she _still _thought that he was only there to sleep with her? He was baffled and insulted and _hurt. _He'd been so happy that morning when he woke up and he truly thought they were on the same page. It pained him to know how wrong he'd been. Yet even though he was upset, he knew he shouldn't have left. But none of that mattered when his blood was pumping and his skin was itchy with misplaced shame. He lay on the couch in his dorm, eyes set on the television but his mind gone. He tried doing the rest of the reading his English professor had assigned but he couldn't focus. An hour and a half passed before he realized that he would not be able to relax in that room. He needed to run.

He changed quickly into his gym shorts and a t-shirt, afterwards lacing up his sneakers and heading out. He hadn't even found a path to run on since he'd been at EU but he would this day. Running was one of the only things he could do when he needed to not think, when he needed to be completely at peace. He found a running trail near the campus basketball arena and took to it quickly. His breathing was good and timed as his feet pounded against the pavement, one after the other. He could feel the tension leaving his body, his shoulders and legs relaxing. But it didn't take him long to realize that running was just not as effective as it once was. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd tried so hard to ignore the pained expression on her face as he left. He'd tried so hard to ignore his conscience tugging at him, urging him not to leave. And in that moment he had successfully ignored it but now it was physically weighing him down. He couldn't erase the look on her face from his memory-it kept replaying in his mind over and over until he was forced to stop running.

"Shit!" He swore, breathing heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn't know what to do. He'd never thought that they'd end up in this position. He wanted to go back-more than anything, he wanted to go back. But he didn't know how she would respond. It was a moment when he was forced to remember that he'd only just met her a few days ago. In the few days they'd known each other, he'd seen her hurt, but he'd never been at the giving end of that hurt. And he wasn't exactly sure what she would do.

He missed her. He didn't understand how it was even possible but he missed her. So the decision to go back was easy. He finished his run in an hour and back at his dorm, he took a long shower as he considered what he would say to her when he got back. When it was over, he still wasn't completely sure how the words would come together but he didn't care. He didn't care if it all came out in one jumbled mess, he just needed to get back to her. He picked up some chinese food from the restaurant on the corner before he headed back. He gathered his thoughts once more before exiting his car and walking up the stairs. Upon entering, he found her on the couch, a textbook on her lap and her laptop next to her on the sofa. She turned when he came in and he swallowed hard, unable to decipher the look on her face.

* * *

"Mercedes, I'm sorry I left," he began as he placed the food on the counter and moved to sit next to her. "I was just really angry about what you said because I thought-I just really like you and I thought you liked me, too. I just-," he paused. "Wait, how did you get out here?" He asked her.

"I walked." She said, never looking at him.

"You can walk?"

"I figured I might as well try since you walked out." She replied and he sighed as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry Merced-,"

"No, it's fine. This is perfect. This is what I needed. This is exactly why I don't depend on other people-why I take care of myself. I forgot for just a little bit but I'm glad you reminded me." She said and he scoffed.

"I'm sorry, _what?_" He asked. "Okay, I apologize, Mercedes, for leaving. But I came back. I'm still pissed about what you said but I came back because I care about you anyway. How do you not know that?"

"Sam, just stop." She said, finally turning to look at him.

"Stop what? Giving a shit? How?" He asked her. "I can't!"

"You're gonna have to try." She almost whispered and his mouth fell open, a breath escaping him as if he'd been punched in the stomach-which is exactly what it felt like. He turned away from her as the room fell silent, his foot tapping, and his head starting to pound.

"Do you want me here, Mercedes?" He suddenly asked. "Because I don't know if I can play this game anymore. So if you don't feel like you need me here anymore and you don't want me here," he shrugged, "I'll just go." He told her. "But I want you to know," he paused as he moved closer to her, taking her face into his hands and turning her to look at him, "I want you to know that If I leave again, it'll only be because you asked me to. Not by choice." He explained dropping his hands from her face afterwards. "Do you want me to go?" He asked her, the memory of him asking that same question the night before resurfacing. He only hoped her response would be the same. But it wasn't. All he got was silence as she turned away from him. He nodded as his heart dropped into his stomach. "Okay." he said simply as he stood and walked towards the door. "The chinese food should last you the rest of the day. I guess I'll just see you around." He told her, opening the door. His head was aching as he moved to take a step. He didn't understand how the day had ended up this way. He only wondered what he could've done differently.

"Sam-damn it," he heard her say and he turned quickly to find her standing from the chair and limping towards him. "Sam, don't leave. I'm sorry, ok? _I'm _sorry." She told him and he closed the door. "I shouldn't have said what I said, it's just at the time, part of me thought it was true. I didn't know-I mean I _did _know but I didn't know that it would-I just didn't think you-,"

"What? You didn't think what?"

"I didn't know you cared so much, I guess." She sighed. "I like you, too Sam. I really do but you have to admit, this is _crazy_. We've known each other for less than a week." She said as she shook her head. "This doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?"

"The way I feel about you!" She almost shouted.

"Well, why does it have to?" He asked her. "Look, Mercedes," He began as he approached her, taking her hand in his. "I don't know what the hell is going on or how it even happened but I know that when I left today, I missed you." He told her and she smiled.

"I missed you, too." She replied quietly.

"And just now when I even _almost _stepped one foot out of this door," he trailed off, shaking his head as he lost his words. "You are a pain in my ass." He began again.

"You're a pain in _my _ass." She interjected as she laughed.

"But I wanna-I don't know, I wanna take you out on a date." He told her and she raised an eyebrow."Yeah, I do." He continued as he chuckled. "I wanna take you somewhere so I can listen to you complain about it the whole time."

"I do _not _complain." she laughed, pushing him playfully.

"Whatever," he chuckled as he reached to stroke her cheek softly with his thumb. "I wanna do that stuff with you. I know things happened fast and it's all really unexpected but to me it just feels so-,"

"_Right._" She interrupted and he smiled. "I thought the same thing this morning." She said. He kissed her softly on the lips for not a moment too short and she grinned as she looked up at him, her eyes opening slowly. "_Mmm._ Where in the world did you get these?" She asked hoarsely, running her thumb across his bottom lip and he smirked.

"I know exactly where I wanna _put '_em," he told her, his hands running down the curves of her body as he kissed the corner of her lips. Then he followed a path from there to her cheek to her neck, smiling as he felt her shiver.

"How about that date first?" She suggested, her voice soft with desire.

"Say when," he told her just before he kissed her deeply, his hand on her cheek and he groaned when her tongue grazed his lip

"Tomorrow," She said in between kisses. "Here."

"_Here?_" He repeated, pulling his lips from hers.

"I think it's time I cook for you. Plus, we might as well take advantage of the last night I'll have the apartment to myself." She told him.

"Good point," He nodded just as his stomach began to growl.

"You left before you could eat," she said quietly and he nodded again.

"Did you throw it away?"

"No, who does that?" She scoffed.

"Who eats _reheated _pancakes?" He grimaced and her neck snapped back.

"Okay, your ass is spoiled." She said as she limped away from him and back to the couch. He chuckled as he raced towards her, taking her hand and helping her get there.

"Are you gonna eat them?" He asked after she sat down and he moved to the kitchen.

"No,"

"Well neither am I." He retorted as he reached into the refrigerator to grab the plastic wrapped plate. "I'm gonna throw it out."

"No you're not, that's wasteful, Sam" she quickly replied.

"Mercedes, they can't just sit in here."

"They're not bothering anyone."

"All they're gonna do is sit in here and go bad after a week and then you're gonna _have _to throw them away." He said as he stood in front of the open refrigerator, his hand on the handle.

"And that's when I will." She mumbled as she typed something on her laptop. He stared at her in disbelief until she noticed and met his gaze. "What?" She asked and he shook his head.

"You're somethin'_._" He muttered, closing the refrigerator.

MERCEDES' POV

There was a space inside of her that she hadn't even known was vacant until he showed up-or more specifically when he left. He'd been gone for at least three hours but the entire time, she'd had no perception of minutes, hours, or seconds-it simply felt like forever. And over the course of those hours, she'd felt a multitude of things; angry, frustrated, abandoned, lonely, and sad. But more than anything, she'd felt empty. How couldn't she have ever noticed that something was missing until it wasn't anymore? And then it _was _again_. _She shook her head as she discreetly watched him from the couch, eating his Chinese food at the table. _What the hell am I gonna do? _She thought. She was _so _unbelievably happy that he'd come back and she didn't wanna see him leave again but how long could this go on? How different would it be when this all ended-when they had to leave the confines of her apartment and these circumstances? She was suddenly so afraid that things would change and even more afraid of just how badly it would affect her. But she decided not to care. With Sam, everything was unexpected and felt completely out of her control. And she was starting to like that. She liked feeling just _rolling _with it-taking risk and living each day one at a time. The future could stay exactly where it was-in the future. She wouldn't reach for it this time, not with Sam. The week was coming to an end and she wanted to enjoy it while she could. She would ask no more questions regarding how they'd gotten to the place they were or why because they were in it now and it felt amazing.

After he finished eating, he sat down next to her on the couch where he quickly fell asleep as she worked on finishing up the homework she'd been assigned in her Biology manual. His head rested on her lap as he snoozed. She wasn't sure if she could ever get used to his scent or the closeness she felt with him-or how he made her feel. She put down her book and rested her hand in his hair, softly stroking it. But the sound of her phone ringing made her jump and she quickly grabbed it from the cushion next to her before it could wake him.

"Hey ma," she said into it quietly after she read the caller ID.

"Hey Mercy, how are you?" Her mom's cheerful voice came through the phone.

"I'm great, ma, how are you?" She asked.

"Blessed," she replied simply, as she always did. Mercedes smiled. "I was just calling to remind you about Erica's wedding on Sunday." She said and Mercedes froze.

"Erica's _what?_" She repeated. "_When?"_

"Didn't you get the invitation? She's getting married on Sunday to Kevin. The boy she-,"

"-she met in elementary school, yeah, I remember now." She said, rubbing her forehead as the memory suddenly resurfaced. "I'll be there." She muttered reluctantly before saying a quick goodbye to her mother and hanging up. "Jesus Christ," she whispered.

"What'd he do to you?" She heard Sam's groggy voice suddenly ask and she sighed.

"I have to go to my cousin's wedding on Sunday." She told him and he nodded as he sat up. "I totally forgot about it and now I've gotta try to find a dress and a way to get rid of this limp ASAP so my mom doesn't see."

"Well I probably can't help with the dress thing but I think we can work on your legs-stretch 'em out like we talked about." He said. She nodded and then he helped her down to the floor. She laid down with her legs bent at the knee. He lifted her right leg, pushing it forward until she asked him to stop. Then he held it there for fifteen seconds before moving on to the next couldn't help but smile as his eyes roamed the length of her legs, exposed in her pajamas shorts.

"What're you looking at?" She asked him and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"I'm not gonna survive you," he said quietly and her heart tugged because she she had been thinking those exact words all morning. A silence fell between them for a short moment before he spoke. "Let's go for a walk."

Mercedes changed into her sweatpants and threw on a pair of sneakers before they headed outside. They walked slowly around the apartment complex as she adjusted to the slight pain she felt. But she could tell she had gotten better. She couldn't even stand a few days ago without almost screaming. It still hurt as she walked next to him but it was bearable.

"So what's your mom like anyway?" He suddenly asked her. "Just like you I bet."

"That's where you're wrong," she said. "I'm nothing like my mom. My mom is soft and sweet and-,"

"You're soft and sweet," he told her as he looked down at her.

"I'm a bitch," she replied.

"No you're not," he shook his head.

"I can be one."

"You can be quick-tempered and stubborn. But I ain't afraid of you." He said and she smiled.

"Well what I meant was my mom is neither of those things. She's just really-_merry_."

"Merry?"

"Yeah. She's really cheerful and optimistic _all _the time. Well she always was in front of me anyway." She said. "My dad left her multiple times when I was younger before he finally _stayed _gone." She went on. "She depended on him for everything-she didn't work, or have her own friends, or her own life at all, really. So when he left we had to start over."

"So that's why." He said.

"That's why what?"

"That's why you're so set on being independent." He explained and she shrugged.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Not completely. But there's also nothing wrong with letting someone else do the work for you sometimes." He said. She shrugged again.

"What about you, what are your parents like?" She asked him.

"My mom is _a lot _like you." He told her and her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Yeah, she's brutally honest and tough and smart and _guarded._"

"I'm not guarded."

"You kind of are." He said as he nodded. "She's a great woman. Really kind and funny, too."

"Oh God, do I have a mama's boy on my hands?"

"I am a _slight _mama's boy, what can I say? She's my girl." He said and Mercedes smiled.

"That's actually really sweet." She replied. "What about your dad?"

"I'm not as close with my dad. He's super protective and serious. Bit of a workaholic,too but it doesn't bother my mom I guess because she likes space for herself anyway." He shrugged. "They've always just _worked _together, you know? They kind of complement each other cause he's a straight-faced guy and she's a bit of a joker, you know, they each have the little things about each other that the other one doesn't."

"Sounds like the makings of a great relationship." She replied and he nodded.

"25 years," he said simply. "My dad left a few times, too but he always came back."

"What is it with men and leaving?" Mercedes asked.

"All men don't leave." He replied.

"You did." She said quietly.

"I was angry."

"So what?" She retorted. "Do you always do that when you're angry? You just leave? Is that what your dad did?" She asked and he was quiet for a moment.

"Yeah it is what he did." He said. "And I hate the fact that it felt like my natural instinct-to leave." He shook his head. "I don't wanna be that guy."

"Well you don't have to be." She told him. "There are parts of our parents that we're given that we have to _choose _not to keep, especially if we see the negative way it affect their lives." She shrugged. "My mom was really needy and nice all the time. My dad walked all over her and he still left. So I fought the part of me that wanted to be like her in that way, and you have to do the same." She said. He smiled and then she did too when she suddenly felt his hand grasping hers.

They walked hand in hand for a little longer before they headed back to the apartment. She insisted that she needed to take a shower even though she hadn't broken a sweat and he rolled his eyes. Afterwards they ate some the rest of the chinese food and he went back to campus to pick up his English textbook so he could get the reading out of the way at her place. When he returned she was at the table working on her biology homework again and he joined her. They finished their homework together and later as they lay in bed, him shirtless and her in only a nightdress, she complained about her legs aching. They lay in the bed together and he massaged her thighs and calf softly with lotion. His hands were like magic against her.

"How can I thank you?" She asked after he was done, kissing him softly on the lips. She was clearly horny and she already had an idea in mind to show her gratitude.

"By not teasing me," he said and she kissed him again, longer and deeper.

"I'm not teasing," she told him as she kissed down his neck and to his chest.

"I thought you said after the date?" He recalled as she moved further down, reaching his happy trail.

"I said after the date for _you. I_ can put my lips wherever I want."

SAM'S POV

He was so turned on. She was the sexiest woman he'd ever met for more reasons than one and he was _so _turned on. She unbuttoned his jeans as she kissed and pulled them down roughly, wasting no time with his boxers either. He was loose and hard and suddenly her tongue was sliding up his length. He was warm all over, the feel of her mouth around him as she sucked, up and down slowly as she gained her rhythm-it all but drove him crazy. He pressed his hands into the sheets, needing to grab onto something. She was amazing and tortuously gentle. His breath hitched as her tongue swirled slowly around the tip before she took him back into her mouth, picking up the pace and his heart beat faster to match it. His hands moved slowly down her back, stopping to roughly cup her behind and he loved the sound of her muffled moan. Suddenly she wrapped her hand around him, stroking as she continued to suck. He wanted her in every possible way. He groaned as she moved faster and he moved closer and closer to the edge. He swore when he came and she swallowed, eyes dark and lustful. She kissed her way back up his body and his hands palmed her ass again as she sat on top of him, her thin panties the only thing separating her sex and his still throbbing erection. He squeezed her behind as he kissed her, his hand roaming back up to rest on her cheeks.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "You're so welcome." He said and she laughed as she fell to the side of him on the bed. He pulled his boxers back on and laid flat, pulling her into him again, just as he had the night before, nuzzling into her neck. He could almost _hear _her smile.

"What's gonna happen after tomorrow?" She suddenly asked and he shrugged.

"We're gonna have to get back into the world, I guess. With like, _other _people and stuff." He said and she sighed.

"Kinda hate other people," she whispered and he chuckled as he kissed her neck before whispering,

"Me, too."

He fell peacefully asleep moments later with her in his arms. He really didn't know what would happen after Friday-after everything went back to normal. He wasn't even sure he knew what _normal _was anymore. But he was happy in that moment with her, wondering, more than anything, how he ever slept in a bed that she wasn't in.


	7. Chapter 6

SAM'S POV

The next afternoon, he gave her a long kiss goodbye and went back to his dorm. Devon had come back and they planned to go to lunch to talk about his trip. Besides that, Mercedes had all but kicked him out. She made him leave, insisting that they not see each other until the "date" and that she would be fine moving around on her own. He honestly could not wait-he was up to his ears in excitement and he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it at breakfast.

"Why do you look like that?" Devon asked as he poured ketchup on his fries.

"Like what?" Sam replied as he lifted the bread up on his burger, checking for the bacon he'd asked for.

"Like you just swallowed a fucking rainbow," he said and Sam chuckled.

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Yes you do, don't lie." He paused as he looked at him. "What happened with you and Mercedes this week?"

"I'm gonna take 'none of your damn business' for 300, Johnny'," Sam quipped before taking a bite into his burger.

"Come _on, _dude!" Devon urged.

"Fine, fine," Sam began as he took a sip of his drink. "Tell me about Alicia first."

"_Dude,_" Devon breathed and Sam shrugged. "Fine," Devon sighed. "I met her at this party in the pit towards the end of fall semester."

"You've been hanging out with her since fall?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Yeah, man."

"How come I didn't know about her then?"

"No one did. That's thing, she didn't want anybody to know 'cause she _just _got out of a thing with one of the football players so she knows a lot of people. She says she didn't want people to think she was 'getting around'." He said.

"_Oooh." _Sam replied.

"Yeah. She's cool though, I like her."

"But isn't she kind of hiding you?" Sam retorted.

"I don't think so. Not anymore. We were together at the party and there were plenty of people there. I think we're kind of _out _now." He said, a smile pulling at his lips.

"Well ain't that cute," Sam said, reaching over to pinch Devon's cheek. He laughed as he swatted his hand away.

"Alright, no bullshit, your turn." He told him. "What happened?"

"Why don't you just ask Alicia? She's got the surveillance cameras." He said and Devon almost spit out his drink.

"Oh, dude, I didn't tell you? The cameras were bogus. When I got there, Alicia told me to hook them up on the wall but I didn't plug anything up to anything. She was just trying to make Mercedes feel safe with your creepin' ass." He explained and Sam's mouth fell open dramatically. "So what happened?" Devon asked again.

"Nothing, really." He lied. He wasn't one to kiss and tell, not even with his friends. Something about even the thought of telling Devon about all the things they'd done that week made him uncomfortable. "We just talked and hung out." He shrugged. "I really like her, man." He said as he looked off, his thoughts roaming to her.

"You're staring off into the sun like the white boys in those dramatic movies-I can tell you like her." He replied and Sam could only laugh. "So what're you gonna do about it? The week's pretty much up, I think you can make your move now." He said and Sam smiled.

"_Actually, _we have a date tonight."

"What?" Devon almost yelled, his mouth packed with french fries.

"Yeah, at her place. She's gonna cook for me." He explained.

"What, to pay you back or-?"

"No, no," Sam almost laughed, remembering her expression of gratitude the night before. "It's just a date-our first date."

"Holy shit," Devon muttered. "What the hell did you guys talk about?" He asked.

"A lot," Sam chuckled out. "I feel like I really know her."

"Well you basically lived with her for a week so you probably should. Imagine if you spent the night-you guys would probably know all each other's secrets." He said before gulping down his drink.

"_Actually..._"Sam said, looking down at his food.

"Seriously?!" Devon exclaimed a tad louder than he'd intended. "You spent the night there?" He asked and Sam simply nodded. "She _let _you spend the night there?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Jesus Christ, what happened to being a gentlemen?"

"Hey, I was tired and she offered." He defended.

"But you said yes." Devon retorted and Sam shrugged.

"Couch was comfy." He shrugged again.

"So you slept on the couch _every _night?" Devon asked incredulously. Sam was quiet for a moment, choosing that moment to take another bite out of his burger.

"I'm not at liberty to say." He finally replied through a grin and Devon smirked.

"Sam," He said but Sam only shook his head.

"I can't say." He muttered and Devon scoffed.

"Alright, fine. Keep your secrets." He said. "I wanna talk about me now anyway." He continued. Sam listened as Devon told him about his volunteer work in Thailand. Along with helping clean up, he'd visited a small school and helped teach the students English and even Arithmetic. Sam truly was interested, but he couldn't keep his mind off of everything that could occur that night. He wondered what she would cook, what they would talk about, what they would _do _after. And he missed her. Most of all he just couldn't stop thinking about _her. _He hadn't thought about a girl this much since he was a preteen after he'd had his very first kiss with Samantha Driscoll-a girl with red hair and freckles. It was all weird because typically, he didn't even know if Mercedes was his type. He wasn't even sure he had a type but he had never dated a girl like her before-someone so smart, driven, strong, and yet vulnerable all at the same time. He'd dated all kinds of girls before but it always seemed like they were all determined to do whatever it took to make him like them-never disagreeing with anything he said, never speaking their minds, never revealing anything honest about themselves unless they _knew _he would like it. His dad had always jokingly encouraged him to date _soft _girls-not a girl like his mom; telling him his life would be easier. And maybe that was true. But with Mercedes, he didn't care if they argued or if they disagreed a lot as long as he got to kiss her and hold her and have pillow talk with her when everything was over. He was so ready to see her again. Time really did move too slowly.

MERCEDES' POV

She had three hours.

After she'd gone out and searched three stores in the mall for a nice dress to wear to her cousin's wedding, she came back with only three hours to get ready and to cook. She decided to get ready first. She took a shower, shaved, and washed her hair. Afterwards, she wrapped her hair in a towel and painted her fingers and toe nails a hot red, blowing her hair out with the blow-dryer after she finished. She curled it and then quickly put on make-up-light foundation, blush, mascara, and gloss. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she primped, excitement suddenly rushing over her. In the bedroom she put on the medium-length purple dress that fit snugly around the waist and flared out a bit at the bottom. She couldn't wait for him to see her in it. She didn't care that they wouldn't be leaving the house-she wanted to dress up and she wanted him to be taken aback the moment he saw her. She wrapped an apron around herself as she entered the kitchen. She had all the ingredients for a good chicken parmesan/bake ziti dish so she got started right away. As she cooked, she thought deeply about the past week. It was still surreal to her how everything had worked out. She remembered the first time she saw him at the party and how he'd been watching her. She wondered how differently things would've been had she not blown him off at first. Everything that happened seemed to have happened for a reason and on a schedule that she had no control of. But she wouldn't change a thing. She liked the little history that they had already. She liked that she could now go to the bathroom with him on the other side of the door and talk to him at the same time. She liked that they bickered back and forth and that they didn't always agree on things. She liked how different and similar they were at the same time. She _loved _that she could be her own bold, honest, and slightly smart-mouthed self around him and not feel guilty about it because he was always prepared for it with a comeback that could make her cheeks hurt with laughter. She liked that from the outside, their feelings for each other would make no sense. She liked him _so _much. And as she looked at her phone, she found that there was only an hour before he would be there.

She set the table up with wine glasses, plates and silverware and with only fifteen minutes left on the oven timer, she heard a knock at the door. A large and wide smile spread across her lips as she walked to the door. When she opened it, she found him standing before her, looking as gorgeous as ever. His eyes widened at the sight of her, his gaze never leaving her as he walked through the door and she almost laughed.

"You were right," he said as he hugged her and her eyes rose in curiosity after he let her go. "You do look good in purple." He explained and she chuckled as she walked back to the kitchen. "Whatever that is smells amazing." He told her, following behind her.

"Should be ready in about ten minutes." She said and suddenly she felt his hand on her waist, turning her around to face him as he moved her back against the counter. Her skin heated beneath his touch immediately. His eyes burned into hers as she suddenly felt his hands slowly untying her apron. He lifted it over her head and dropped it on the floor before he abruptly lifted her up and sat her on the counter. Then he was between her legs, his lips were on hers, his hands roaming slowly up her thighs beneath her dress. Her fingers were in his hair as his lips, plump and sweet, moved against hers. When his hands finally reached her behind, he pulled her roughly forward and against him, rousing a quiet moan out of her. He kissed her lips for a moment more before moving to drop kisses on her cheek and her neck.

"_Sam,_" she mumbled, the smell of the food suddenly strong in her nose.

"Hmm?" He breathed against her neck.

"The food," she said.

"Forget about it," he responded quietly and she laughed as she pushed him back, planting a quick kiss on his lips before sliding off of the counter. He groaned in response. "Hush. You know you'd be hungry." She said as she pulled on her oven mitten.

"I think I'd get over it," he replied as he reached to grab her hand again. She slapped it down quickly with the oven mitten covered hand and he chuckled as he pulled his hand away.

"Sit down," she told him and he threw his hands up in innocence.

"Alright, alright." He muttered as he backed away from her, taking a seat at the dining room table. She pulled the ziti out of the oven, placing it on the stove top before using a knife to cut it. She retrieved the plates from the table, leaning down to kiss him quickly as she passed him before returning to the kitchen. She placed a large portion of the pasta on his plate before taking a piece of chicken parmesan from the tray on the stove and placing it alongside his pasta. After she made her plate, she took them both to the table, placing his in front of him and hers in front of the seat across from him. They prayed together and afterwards he bit right into his ziti. She smiled as he complimented her and kissed her hand softly. He poured them wine from the bottle that sat on the table and they toasted.

"To broken legs that magically heal in a week," he said and she giggled.

"To white boys with strangely large lips," she quipped, making him burst into laughter.

"To girls like you who make them useful." He added as their glasses collided and her cheeks instantly warmed. She groaned suddenly as she remembered all the toasts she'd have to endure at the wedding the next day. "What was that for?" He asked, as he finally took a bite of his chicken, his eyes rolling at the taste. "This is amazing. I may have to break off the engagement with Devon." He joked and she laughed.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied.

"_Love _it," he corrected it. " So what was the little sound for?" He asked again and she groaned again.

"The wedding-I just remembered I have to go tomorrow." She said and he nodded.

"Why do you seem so unexcited for it?"

"Because weddings are pretty unexciting." she retorted.

"Are you kidding me? You got free booze, good music, lots of wom-_wonderful _people," he corrected as one of her eyebrows shot up and she chuckled.

"I'm just not into it. I think it's a little bit over the top."

"How so?"

"I mean marriage in general is just kinda _pointless_," she said and his his eyes widened quickly. "What's the point of it really? It's just a piece of paper and it just makes it harder for people to part ways when they decide it's time." She said and Sam shrugged.

"Sometimes that time never comes. Sometimes people actually _stay _together." He told her and she sighed. "Wait, so are you saying you're _never _getting married?" He asked her, his eyes narrowed. She looked at him, his face clearly shocked.

"Well, I don't know." She said honestly. "I tried my hand at a love that I thought would last forever." She shrugged. "And I lost." She almost whispered. The room fell silent for a moment before she felt his hand on hers under the table.

"Hey," he said quietly and she looked up to meet his deep gaze. "You won't always," he told her and she smiled. She didn't know if she believed him or not, but she liked the way it sounded on his voice. "Why don't I come with you?" He suddenly asked.

"What?"

"To the wedding. We can make a date of it." He said and she smirked.

"I don't know about that,"

"Don't you have the option for a plus one?"

"Does a country boy like you even have a suit?" She asked.

"I've got _three_," He replied quickly. "Watch your mouth," he said and she laughed. She had to admit that the night would be more eventful with him around.

"You realize that this means you'll be meeting my entire family, right?" She clarified.

"Of course," he nodded. "Should be fun."

"And what-," she cleared her throat. "How exactly should I introduce you? As the guy I just met a week ago but who I've also basically lived with _and _given a blowjob?"

"Okay, that seems a _bit _suggestive." He said and she rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "Just introduce me as whatever you want." He told her and she sighed.

"_That _helps," she said sarcastically. She honestly did half expect for him to say something-to put some sort of label on them. She inwardly scoffed at herself.

"Well what _do _you want to introduce me as?" He asked.

"What do you want to be introduced as?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second," She replied quickly and he chuckled.

"Fine," he said. "Why don't you tell them," he began as he pushed his clean plate away, resting his hand against her cheek, "I'm the guy who is completely smitten with you, who thinks about you all the time, and who wants to kiss you pretty much every minute of the day-including right now." He told her as he leaned over the table, moving closer to her, his mouth only inches away from hers.

"Kinda lengthy," she replied, her eyes already slowly closing.

"_Shh_," he breathed and then he closed the space between them. He kissed her slowly and deeply. It wasn't long before he was pushing the table to the side and out of the way so that he was right in front of her. Their lips tugged at each others as he moved her back against the wall behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him and his other hand resting on the back of her neck. She didn't know what to do with her hands. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to touch him everywhere. She kissed him for a bit longer-it wasn't until his hand moved from her waist and instead cupped her ass-that she parted her lips from his, her brown eyes meeting his lustful green before she whispered;

"Bed."

SAM'S POV

She was so beautiful. From the moment he'd laid eyes on her, he knew that but something about seeing her in that all dressed up and barefoot in that purple dress, her hair curled, her lips plump and glossed, stirred something else up in him. Or maybe it was just the simple fact that he'd missed her throughout the day. For the past week she'd been constantly within his reach and he'd gotten used to that. So after spending almost half of the day without her, when he finally got to see her again, every thought he'd had about her throughout the day came to a head. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, kiss her, _make love _to her. He wanted it all. And he was relieved to know that she did, too.

He laid her softly on her bed, his hand moving her hair behind her ear as he hovered over her. Then he was kissing her again, shortly on the lips and then down to her neck as he reached beneath her to unzip her dress. He pulled each of the shoulders on the dress down as she unbuckled his belt. She pulled it from the loops and tossed it on the floor beside them as he pulled her dress down. He moved to the foot of the bed, pulling her dress off completely and removing his pants and underwear afterwards. Beneath her dress, she wore a black lace bra and matching sheer black panties that made his erection twitch.

"Do you like it?" She asked and he nodded as he climbed on top of her again.

"I do," he said. "But I think I'll like it a lot more when it's on the floor," he continued and she smirked, biting her bottom lip. She sat up to unclasp her bra but he quickly grabbed her hands and placed them at her sides, wrapping his owns hands around her to unclasp it himself. She moaned as he kissed her neck, pulling her bra from her shoulders and dropping it off the side of the bed. He kissed and sucked softly on the supple skin of each of her shoulders as she pulled his shirt up. He sat up a little so that she could pull it over his head. His hands cupped her breast as his shirt joined the rest of their clothes on the floor. She whimpered softly as his hands pressed against her nipples. He didn't waste time-sucking and licking slowly on each one of them, rousing moan after moan out of her. Her hand reached down to grasp his erection and he groaned against her breast as she stroked it softly. He wanted her so badly. He looped his fingers around either side of her panties and removed them quickly. She reached into the drawer of the end table next to them and retrieved a condom.

"Where did you-"

"-Alicia stocks it every week." She explained and he almost laughed. She removed it from the wrapper and dropped the aluminum to the floor. And then she was rolling it slowly over his length, her eyes never leaving his. He was already tingling from just the contact. He reached down to rub his hand against her sex, his fingers entering her and he groaned at the wetness that waited there for him. She was more than ready. He kissed her again, his tongue searching for something in her mouth. Then he set himself up at her entrance, sucking air in between his gritted teeth as he filled her. Her lips parted from his and her head rose. She moaned as he moved slowly in and out and the sensation rocked his body until he was almost weak. He pulled out completely—only to slowly push back into her seconds later. He repeated this motion until her back started to arch up inwardly and her toes curled. _In and out, in an out,_ gently and slowly so he could make this last. She groaned as he filled her over and over, only to leave her empty and breathless for him every moment afterwards. She reached out, trying to grab his back, pull him deeper into her and keep him there. He loved the way she looked when she was hungry for him. And he would've wanted to keep her there-ravenous and on edge. But the desire coursing through him was just too strong. He swiftly lifted her hips, slipping himself completely inside of her and then he quickly pulsed. She was panting only moments later, his heart rate quickening and her eyes closing as she moaned loudly. Her breathing matched his pace and he could see her coming apart beneath him. He pushed deeper into her, stretching her open more and more until he could feel her everywhere. He could tell she was getting close, and with every pulsation combined with the sound of her delicious moans, he got closer, too. He bent to kiss her hard as he continued to move. She whimpered against his mouth as he kissed her, his hands gliding up her thighs. And then he could feel her tightening around him as she came, calling his name. The sound of his name on her voice was his undoing-he came hard only moments later, kissing her as he did so. He fell to the side of her, his lips never leaving hers. He pulled her thigh up to wrap it around his hip, his hand sliding up and squeezing her behind.

"_Oh my god_," she breathed once his lips parted from hers and he laughed.

"By the way," he began as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Could I have your phone number?" He asked and she burst into a fit of giggles, and he kissed her as she laughed because frankly he couldn't help it. Afterwards, he went to clean himself and she joined him the shower where she bathed him slowly and they playfully threw the suds-filled sponges at each other. And that was when he knew. He wouldn't say it, but he knew in that moment that this was something more than _like._ He couldn't label it just yet but he felt it. He lay in bed that night next to her, watching her as she slept peacefully. He didn't know much about what it was he was feeling. But what he did know was that she held a piece of him somewhere within her and he wasn't sure if he would ever get it back-or if he ever wanted to.


	8. Chapter 7 The Wedding Part One

SAM'S POV

"Are you sure those are a good idea?" He asked Mercedes as she walked out of her bedroom and towards the couch, her nude pumps in hand.

"What do you mean?" She replied, sitting on the sofa, stepping into one of the heels.

"I mean, shouldn't you go with something a little _flatter_?" he suggested just before he took a sip of his glass of water, leaning on the kitchen counter where he'd kissed her breathless the night before.

"Why would I do that?" She asked as she slipped on the other heel.

"Oh, I dunno, maybe because you _just _gained full use of your legs again like _yesterday?_" He replied sarcastically. She chuckled cockily as she moved to stand, and Sam slowly put down his water as he watched her, fully prepared for what he _knew _was about to happen.

"I'll be fin-," the words couldn't even completely leave her mouth before her legs were almost giving out entirely. Sam was already rushing to her side, catching her before she could flop down on the couch. She sighed as she looked up at him.

"Sandals?" He said as he removed the heels from her feet.

"Sandals," she huffed, kissing him softly on the corner of his lips. "With a _tiny _heel," she added before flouncing back to her room. "Guess I gotta paint my toes," He heard her mutter as he rested into the couch, his arms hanging across the top of it.

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna say anything but-," he quipped.

"You try getting a pedicure when you can barely move your legs," she said as she entered the living room again, this time with nude sandals in hand. She started to move past him to the seat next to him but he took her hand before she could, pulling her onto his lap as she giggled. "We have thirty minutes," she told him as he kissed his way from her neck to her lips.

"You look beautiful," he whispered just as he kissed her softly on the lips.

"And you've been distracting me all morning," she almost moaned.

* * *

And it was true. Since the moment they'd woken up, he'd not been able to keep his hands off of her-especially when she'd been sitting at her vanity putting on her make-up in only her bra and panties. He'd wanted nothing more than to rip them off of her and take her right on top of that vanity. He'd bent to kiss her on the shoulder and she'd laughed as she'd pushed him away. And when she'd asked him to zip up her aqua colored dress, he'd had to resist the urge to pull it back off of her instead. The only break he had from that desire was when he'd gone to get dressed in a white pinstriped shirt and slacks at his dorm, figuring his suits would be overkill. She _still _wasn't ready when he got back.

He kissed her again as they sat on the couch, his hand on her cheek. He could kiss her for days if he had the chance. But the sound of her phone buzzing interrupted them.

"That would be my mother," she said groaning, moving to retrieve her phone from the desk. She read the text before placing the phone back down and quickly putting on her sandals.

"We gotta go," she told him and they stood from the couch simultaneously, moving towards the door.

"Your car or mine?" He asked.

"We already talked about this, Evans. I no longer trust anyone elses vehicles." She said as she grabbed her purse from the counter.

"Yeah but your car is kinda small," he replied.

"It's a Mini Cooper." She retorted as they stepped out of the door.

"And _I _am six feet tall. Pretty much the opposite of 'mini'. My legs are gonna be cramped."

"It's a 20 minute car ride-you'll live." She told him.

MERCEDES' POV

The wedding was held at a hall that appeared small on the outside but was quite spacious once inside. Mercedes inhaled deeply as they stood before the door together. She hadn't really considered what her family might think of him. She was trying not to worry about it as they entered but she'd never been in a situation where she had to _introduce _him to anyone before seeing as they hadn't actually left her apartment together in an entire week. She wasn't afraid of what he would say or do, but what her family would. They were nice people but she was still concerned about what their first impressions of him would be. She tried not to care, reminding herself that it was her life to live and even though she wasn't completely sure of where this thing with Sam was going, she was enjoying herself, period.

"Mercy?" She heard her mother's voice call as they walked through the hall. All around her she could see her family grouped off, talking and laughing. She was almost relieved that almost no one noticed them coming in, not because she was ashamed, but because she was already exhausted from the _thought _of all the introductions she'd have to give throughout the day. She smiled as they walked towards her mom and her Aunt Debra. Mercedes looked a lot like her mom, only her mom's skin was a bit lighter. Her Aunt Debra was the youngest of her mother's siblings, she was taller than most of her them but she possessed the same features as them. She watched their eyes drift up to Sam and back to her and she swallowed hard.

"Hey ma," She said as she hugged her. "Hey Auntie Deb," she greeted, hugging her afterwards.

"Mercedes, you look beautiful. Last time I saw you was at your high school graduation, two years ago. You've changed so much," Her aunt noted and Mercedes only smiled.

"Please tell me she had blue hair and an eyebrow piercing." Sam suddenly interjected and the two older women chuckled as Mercedes nudged him.

"_No." _She replied. "Denise Jones, Aunt Debra-this is Sam," She told them and he smiled as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you both," He said.

"You as well," her mother replied pleasantly before turning to Mercedes. "Honey, I didn't know you were _bringing _someone." She added and Mercedes could tell by the emphasis she'd put on _bringing _that she'd really meant _dating._

"It was kind of a last minute decision," Mercedes replied and her mother nodded.

"Well, I'm glad. The wedding's starting in about five minutes. Sam, do you mind going and getting you two a seat? I need to talk to Mercedes alone for just a minute." Denise told him and he smiled as he nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you." Debra said, looping her arm in his and leading him away. Sam turned his head to smile back at her and butterflies immediately fluttered in her stomach. She watched as they walked away and he said something to her aunt to make burst into giggles. He was a professional charmer and she suddenly felt a bit relieved. "Derrick is here." She heard her mother say. She froze as her gaze returned to her mom, the butterflies suddenly replaced by nausea.

"What?" She sputtered out.

"Sweetheart, I didn't know he would be here. He showed up about fifteen minutes ago."

"Why?" Mercedes almost whispered, her hand on her stomach. "Wh-why was he even invited?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.

"He knows Erica, too. You all went to school together, remember?" Her mother explained and she knew that but she just hadn't expected him to show up. She was positive that he knew she would be there so _why _would he think it was okay for him to come, too? Her stomach felt like she'd just spun in a circle too many times and a bolt of pain struck her head. The day had only _just _begun to feel promising and then that news had ruined its potential. "Mercedes?" Her mother called, noticing her expression. "It's going to be alright, honey, don't worry." She told her and just as Mercedes took in a deep breath, she heard a soft melody on the piano begin inside. She closed her eyes as she felt her mother's hand on hers. She kissed her daughter's cheek softly. "Come on," she said. They walked together, hand in hand as Mercedes took in slow deep breaths. She could feel this day crashing and burning as she walked down the aisle, avoiding Derrick,-wherever he was in the room-looking for Sam, and waving at her family simultaneously. It wasn't until she saw him that everything seemed to come to a halt. One would think that he would stand out in the room but he seemed to fit right in. He sat on the fifth row next to her older cousin Marcus and her Uncle West, laughing and talking as if he'd known them for years. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Sam. She felt her mother tug at her hand and she looked at her, finding a cheeky grin on her lips.

"What?" She said and her mother only chuckled. "_What?_" Mercedes repeated. Denise shook her head.

"Nothing," she told her before nodding her head in Sam's direction and saying, "Go,"

"Where are _you _going?"

"To check on the bridal party. _Go._" She urged. Mercedes smirked and squeezed her mom's hand before letting go and heading to her seat.

"'Cedes!" Marcus immediately shouted when he caught sight of her, standing and wrapping her in a tight hug as he always did.

"Marcus!" She giggled out as he rocked her. "Where's your twin?" She asked after he let her go.

"He didn't make it-got a big case going on right now up in New York." He explained as she hugged her uncle before taking a seat in between Sam and Marcus.

"You don't have to lie, Marcus. We all know Caleb's the _boogie _twin." A familiar voice next to them suddenly said. They all turned simultaneously to find her cousin Audrey standing by the aisle.

"Audrey!" Mercedes shouted, jumping from her seat and throwing her arms around her closest cousin. Growing up, she and Audrey were always around each other. She was her closest relative-the only cousin she talked to on a regular basis even since she went to college. Audrey had moved to California as soon as she graduated high school and started acting. The plan was for Mercedes to move there once she graduated and they would live together.

"I missed you, girly!" Audrey said as they embraced.

"I missed you, too. I didn't know you were coming-you didn't _tell _me you were coming!" Mercedes replied as they released each other.

"It was a surprise." Audrey told her through a grin. "_Suprise,_" She said and Mercedes chuckled. "Who's this?" Audrey asked, signaling to Sam with her clutch. She'd always been bold.

"That's Sam," Marcus replied quickly and Mercedes looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed and he and Sam laughed.

"You hesitated." Marcus said.

"You _sprinted_," She replied before turning back to Audrey. "He's Sam," She told her.

"Sam, who?" She asked, stretching her hand to him and he shook it kindly.

"Sam Evans," He said.

"Sam Evans, _who_?" Audrey urged, her light brown eyes fixed on Mercedes. And she suddenly understood the question.

"Sam Evans, with _me_." She told her and Audrey's eyebrows rose before she nodded and smiled.

"Cute," she said and Sam smiled as Mercedes sat next to him again. "Nice to meet you Sam Evans." She continued before snapping in Marcus' direction. "Scooch," she said simply and Marcus rolled his eyes and obeyed. Mercedes laughed at the discourse as Audrey sat down next to her in Marcus' place. The two of them had never gotten along.

"Scared yet?" Mercedes asked Sam quietly and he chuckled.

"Terrified," he quipped and she giggled nudging him with her shoulder. She could see him looking looking at her in her peripheral vision and turning to meet his gaze, she found him smiling. "I love 'em," he told her. And she turned away, attempting to hide her smile. But her attempt quickly failed when she felt his fingers intertwining with hers and he placed their hands on his lap. She felt more than heard her cousin chuckling next to them and she turned and stuck her tongue out at her quickly and only seconds later she felt her cousin pinch her thigh. She jumped as she laughed quietly and Sam only shook his head and smiled.

She'd almost forgotten about the inevitable run-in with Derrick that would occur at some point that day as the music changed. Erica's fiance Kevin entered and stood at the altar, everyone clapped quietly as his groomsmen followed. Slowly-too slowly in Mercedes' opinion-the bridesmaids walked down the aisle in lavender dresses and bouquets in hand. Mercedes tried not to roll her eyes. Sam squeezed her hand occasionally as they watched. His presence truly was keeping her spirits up. They all stood when the music changed and the bride appeared at the end of the aisle. Mercedes couldn't help but smile; Erica looked beautiful as she moved down the aisle alongside her father, almost floating-a long trail following her. Something tugged at Mercedes that she couldn't quite identify.

"Wow," She heard Sam say behind her.

"I know. She looks stunning." She replied.

"She does." He said. "But I was talking about the groom. Look at him." He told her. "He looks insanely happy." He continued and as Mercedes looked back at him, she had to agree. When Erica finally made it to the altar after her father removed her veil and kissed her lightly on the cheek, Kevin took her hands in his and the ceremony began.

"Still think weddings are pointless?" Sam whispered as the reverend spoke. "This is beautiful."

"Yeah but just imagine how bitchy she probably was for the past three months. He probably didn't even wanna be anywhere near her." Mercedes replied and he chuckled.

"But look at his face now. Look at hers. They look so happy it's making me nauseous."

"But for how long?" Mercedes asked quickly, just before Audrey turned and shushed them. Truthfully she was glad the conversation had been cut short. Marriage had always seemed like one big giant _no no _to her. She didn't know her mother before her dad but she'd always imagined that she hadn't been the dependent, seemingly helpless woman who had raised her in the beginning of her life. She imagined that her mom was more like her as a young woman-independent and self-sufficient. After all, she had raised her to be that way, even if it wasn't completely intentional. So she was afraid not only that her marriage would fail, but that in the midst of it, she would lose herself. She would become the woman who she'd always fought not to be. As beautiful as the wedding was, she was still unwilling to take the risk.

After the ceremony, everyone filed into the reception area where Sam, Mercedes, Marcus, and Audrey sat together. The setting was beautiful, filled with tables covered with long crisp white table clothes and lined with glasses and plates. There was a stage in the front where she guessed the bride and groom would dance. She was relieved that she hadn't yet ran into Derrick. She assumed it was because he was avoiding her, too. She sat at the table alone with Sam after Marcus went to help their grandmother to her seat and Audrey took pictures around the room as they all waited for the bride and groom to make their entrance. She felt him staring at her and turning to meet his gaze, she found him smiling almost mischievously.

"What?" She said. And only a moment later, he reached under her chair and pulled it hard, moving her closer to him. Resting his arm on the back of her chair, he leaned into whisper in her ear;

"You're coming home with me tonight."

"To your dorm?" She asked, almost shivering at the closeness of his lips.

"You have no choice." He said after he nodded.

"Is that so?" She almost laughed, turning her head quickly and their lips were almost too close. She turned to face forward again.

"It is," He replied

"And why is that?" She asked him. Then she felt his hand on her thigh beneath the table, sliding up slowly. She took in a quiet yet sharp breath at his touch.

"I wanna see how that dress looks on my floor." He said, his voice low. Her eyes widened slightly and she bit her bottom lip. As his hand inched closer and closer to her sex, she scanned the room for anyone who might be looking, her heartbeat speeding up.

"You are trouble, Sam Evans." She muttered hoarsely.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice laced with sensuality.

"Meaning you're gonna get me in trouble." She replied. His hand stop suddenly just as it reached it's destination and she was almost disappointed when he removed it from her dress.

"Wait two minutes, then meet me in the second hallway." He said quickly and then in almost a second he was gone. Her mouth fell slightly open as she sat alone, flashes of all the things that would happen once she followed him appearing in her mind. She wondered if she should go and what he would do if she didn't. But it didn't matter because the truth was there was no way she wouldn't follow him. The minutes passed quickly and soon she was standing and walking to exit the reception area. And if she had rounded the corner only an second faster, she would've run right into him.

Derrick.

_Shit. _She thought. He smiled at her but she couldn't return it, her stomach was upside down.

"Hey Mercedes." He said. And she blinked. His eyebrows rose at her long silence.

"H-hey," she finally replied.

"How are you?" He asked and she simply nodded, words not coming to her fast enough. He looked good, like he always did. Tall, dark, strong, and groomed. What confused her was that she wasn't the least bit attracted to him. She could only feel the walls inside of her flying up to shield her.

"You look amazing," He told her. Her eyebrows quirked.

"Where's your girlfriend?" She spit out before she could think better of it. He frowned and lowered his head for a moment.

"Well, I didn't bring her because I actually came here to see you-talk to you." He said.

"What?" She replied, her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah but I guess it was kind of pointless."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're here with someone." He said in a tone that implied the answer was obvious, a tone that he used often. She hated it.

"And?" She replied, suddenly more annoyed than cautious. "You're talking to me now."

"Where is he at?" He asked. "I'm surprised he's letting you." He continued.

"Letting me what?"

"Talk to me," he explained and her neck snapped back.

"He's somewhere _letting _me make my own damn decisions." She almost growled. "Excuse me," she said, pushing past him as she suddenly remembered in all the reasons why they would've never worked. He was a cocky, sexist, misogynist and she couldn't stand him. Her skin was itchy with the whole conversation as she entered the second hallway. She scanned it for Sam as she walked, making it only halfway down before she felt someone yank her through a door.

"That was a lot longer than two minutes," Sam said as he locked the door of the dressing room. Then he pulled her into him, his hand falling on her crashed his lips into hers, kissing her deeply. She moaned as his hand moved up her thigh and cupped her thong exposed behind. Desire coursed through her and she suddenly needed him in every possible way. He sucked her bottom lip before letting go as he backed her up until she bumped against the long dresser behind her. And then he was picking her up and placing her quickly on top of it, his lips following the trail he knew well now from her cheek to her neck as he lifted one of her thighs up to pull her into him. She could feel him hard against her then as she placed her hands on either side of his face, bringing his lips back to hers and kissing him again. He groaned when she kissed her way to his ear and she tugged on it. She wanted him. She wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anyone. Being with him always reminded her of how much time she'd wasted with Derrick.

_No. _She suddenly thought. _Don't think about Derrick. Don't._

But it was too late. It all came back, the conversation and his general presence hitting her hard again. She reflexively pulled her lips away from Sam and hit her head softly against the wall behind her once, swearing under her breath.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She shook her head as she closed her eyes.

"My ex is here," She admitted. She felt him freeze.

"Derrick?" He clarified. She nodded as she opened her eyes again.

"My mom told me when you went inside. I didn't tell you because I just didn't wanna think about it. I stupidly hoped I would be able to avoid him all day."

"But you couldn't?" Sam asked and she shook her head.

"I ran into him on the way here. That's what took me so long." She explained and Sam's eyebrows furrowed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked her and she shrugged quietly. "Mercedes?" He called after a silence stretched between them.

"I wish he wasn't here, Sam." She muttered as she shook her head, cursing the tears that swelled in her eyes. "I don't wanna see him-I can't," She whispered. She hated the weakness in her voice. It was what Derrick did to her-he weakened her. She couldn't stand it. Sam sighed as he quickly pulled her into an embrace, one of his hands resting on her head and his other arm wrapped around her.

"It's okay," he told her. "Mercedes," he breathed, his hand landing on either of her cheeks, pulling her gaze to his. "It's okay." He repeated once she met his gaze. "Do you want me to get you out of here?" He asked her and she quickly shook her head. "Good." He replied. "Because I know you can do this." He told her. She bit her lip as she shook her head. "Yes you can. I know you can." He said.

"How?" she muttered and he smiled as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.

"Because you're not a runner." He began. "You're the strongest woman I know. And because I'm here with you." He said. She couldn't fight the smile that pulled at her lips. "If you wanna ignore him for the rest of the day, talk to him, kick his ass-whatever, I'll support you." He told her and she giggled. _How did he do that? _She wondered. How could he just say words and suddenly her whole body relaxed? How was it possible that she could feel so much stronger with him? She let her head fall onto his chest and she felt him kissed the top of it softly.

"You're too much," she whispered and his chest rumbled as he chuckled. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. Then he kissed her softly on her lips for not a moment too short before taking her hand in his, helping her off of the dresser. He helped her straighten her dress and her hair. She reached up to flatten his collar back down, taking a convenient tissue from the box on the dresser and wiping her lipstick from his mouth.

"Ready?" He asked her and she nodded. He smiled encouragingly at her before he led her out the door as he mumbled, seemingly almost too himself;

"You got this."


	9. Chapter 7 The Wedding Part Two

SAM'S POV

There was a certain fragility about her that seemed to only resurface whenever Derrick was mentioned. He remembered her almost inaudible, "I don't wanna see him. I can't-". The only other time he'd heard her sound weak like that was when she'd explained what happened in their relationship. It was almost like the thought of him literally drained her of energy. It made his blood boil. It made him angry because he could only imagine all the things the guy must have said to her; all the things he must have said and done to break her down the way he did, and leave the scar lingering there even a year and a half afterwards.

"You got this," he had whispered as he and Mercedes walked back to the reception. Truthfully, it had been encouragement to himself more than her. He needed to stay calm. It was a good thing he didn't know what Derrick looked like. But it also bothered the hell out of him-the thought that he could be just a few feet away from him and not know it at any point that day unless Mercedes told him. He thought maybe that was for the best. He didn't want to savagely attack the guy on sight, he could be civil about his anger. But he couldn't promise that if Derrick slipped up and said even one hurtful thing to her anywhere near him, he wouldn't connect his fist with his jaw in a heartbeat. He inhaled and exhaled deeply and quietly as they all sat at the table again. He'd successfully stayed calm while he and her were in the dressing room so he didn't understand why now, when even she was laughing and smiling with her cousins, he couldn't get it together. It wasn't until he felt her hand casually rest on his knee as she told her cousins about her sorority life that he felt his everything relax. He looked at her for a moment and though her eyes were still a bit swollen from crying, he could tell she was happy. It was nice to see her this way-interacting with people she'd known her whole life. It was almost like he was seeing her from a different perspective, a more in depth one.

* * *

Before they had sat down again, she spoke to a lot of her family members around the room, introducing him to all of them in big groups mostly. He liked that she had gotten so comfortable with it and that she could so confidently show him off. He'd gotten mostly good vibes from her family-none of them felt purely negative, only some were a bit indifferent. He liked them all but he'd taken mostly to Marcus. Before the wedding when her Aunt Debra had taken him to their seat, he met Marcus first. Debra introduced them and then almost vanished after he sat down.

"So you're dating Mercedes?" Marcus asked him.

"I'm doing my best," Sam replied and Marcus chuckled.

"She's a handful, huh?"

"She's-_amazing_." He said and Marcus' eyebrows shot up.

"I'm really glad I didn't have to _tell _you that." He retorted and Sam grinned. As they continued to talk about trivial things, it wasn't long before Marcus picked up on his accent. He asked him about it and Sam explained that he was from Nashville. This led to a completely new conversation. Marcus told him about his experience in Nashville when he visited for a convention during his first year of medical school. They talked about all his favorite spots there and Sam gave him a few places to check out if he decided to visit again. Moments later her uncle had arrived and Sam talked briefly with him before he and Marcus began to relive the last family wedding they'd gone to which had apparently been disastrous. Sam only laughed as he listened in. But they didn't exclude him. They told him all about it and even when they talked directly to each other, he still felt apart of it. It was great and he didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable.

When the bride and groom arrived hand in hand, everyone stood as they entered. Erica had changed into a shorter version of her wedding dress and Kevin's jacket was in his arm. The room clapped as they glided down through the middle of all the tables and up to their reserved long table where the wedding party was waiting for them. After the group of servers brought food to the wedding party, everyone else was asked to stand, two tables at a time, and come to the buffet line to retrieve their food. It took almost a half an hour for everyone to get there food and be seated. All around, the room became looser and looser as wine glasses filled up and emptied again over and over. Music played in the background throughout the night and after everyone was just about done eating, the drunk best man gave a speech that Sam could only describe as cringe-worthy; he described in detail the countless nights he and the groom had spent chasing girls just years before. with actual tears streaming down his face. Sam and Mercedes caught each others eyes in their peripheral visions as they both held in their laughter. The maid of honor gave a heartfelt speech after and later, the bride step on the stage, hand in hand with her father and they danced slowly to a lyric-less melody. Next to him, he heard Mercedes sigh.

"What is it?" He asked as he looked at her. And she only shook her head, never looking at him. He guessed she didn't want to talk about it or it just really was nothing. Neither of them said anything for a moment until she did.

"It's just that, earlier today during the wedding when my Uncle Keith walked her down the aisle, something _bothered _me about it." She admitted and his eyebrows furrowed. "I just realized what it was." She said.

"What?"He asked her.

"_If_-and this is a big _if_-I ever did get married, that's something I would never have; my dad walking me down the aisle, dancing with me, you know?" She shrugged. "I was just thinking about that." She said before she shrugged again. He noticed she did that often-shrugged her shoulders about things that really mattered to her; as if to make others not worry, even though she really wasn't okay.

"You know, Mercedes, just because you won't have those things, it doesn't mean you don't _deserve _them. Don't forget that because, you do." He told her quietly. He smiled as he looked at her. "No matter where I am in the room on the day it happens, I wanna see you walk down the aisle in a wedding dress." He said and she smirked, gazing at him. "I do. You deserve that, too. A happy beginning."

"Don't you mean _ending_?"

"No, I mean beginning." He told her and she nodded as she understood. Moments after the father-daughter dance ended, casual music started to play and Marcus quickly pulled Mercedes out onto the dance floor, leaving Sam and Audrey at the table alone. He wondered why Audrey hadn't gone to dance with some of her family but he didn't question it. He used that time to send a quick text to Devon, telling him Mercedes would be coming to their place that night. Then he turned to watch her dance freely with her cousin, laughing as he spent her. She was so beautiful. The smile on his face felt instinctual at the sight of her.

"What the hell have you done to her?" he heard Audrey's voice suddenly ask. He turned to look at her, his eyebrows high.

"Wha-what?"

"Mercedes Jones is one of the most emotionally private people to ever walk this earth. And I just heard you effortlessly pull one of her deepest worries right out of her. You didn't even have to ask twice-how did you do that?" She asked and he lowered his head a little, hiding his slightly blushing his cheeks.

"We just talk a lot, that's all." He replied.

"Obviously," Audrey scoffed jokingly and he chuckled. Silence stretched between them for a moment and Sam looked back to watch Mercedes again. She was dancing with her mom now, bumping hips and giggling. "You're good for her," He heard Audrey speak again. He nodded as he looked back and smiled at her.

"She's good for me, too." He said, thinking of all the ways he'd entered his own person more and more just by knowing her.

"_But_," She continued quickly and Sam's eyes raised to meet hers in curiosity. "If you hurt her like that other fucker who's walking around here all jolly and friendly did, I will murder you."

"I wouldn-,"

"It is a _promise, _Sam Evans, not a threat, okay?" She interrupted and he chuckled.

"Are they sure you two aren't sisters?" He asked her and she smiled sarcastically.

"_Okay_?" She repeated and he nodded.

"I won't hurt her." He promised her. "And if I do, I'll bring you the gun." He said and she shook her head.

"I'm more of a knife girl." She told him, he blew out a breath as he almost laughed. Only a moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to find Mercedes behind him.

"Dance with me," She leaned down and whispered too close to his ear to be innocent.

"Is that a request _or_-,"

"No choice, let's go, Evans." She demanded as she pulled him from his seat and dragged him out on to the dance floor.

"This song isn't fast enough for me to show you my moves," He told her.

"Your _moves_, Sam?"

"My moves," he repeated and she rolled her eyes.

"Well that's fine because we're doing the electric slide anyway." She told him and it was then that he noticed everyone lining up on the floor. Sam was familiar with the music and the dance but it took him a moment to catch on. Mercedes laughed as he attempted but he didn't give up until he got it down pact. When he did, most of the room clapped and he jokingly bowed before returning to the dance.

MERCEDES' POV

She was having a ball. She danced and laughed and she felt happy. But his presence kept tugging at her. As irritated and angry as she was about him being there, she still couldn't stop looking for him. All that time, she hadn't spoken to him in person since he admitted he was cheating on her. But she hadn't exactly realized how much he'd damaged her until tonight. And now she felt like she had something to say-like she needed to say _something _but she didn't know what it was. She decided against it for the moment but there was someone else she definitely needed to talk to. As the night winded down and the dancing came to an end, she approached her cousin Erica after the crowd around the wedding party finally settled down and she hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations, _Ashy_," she said and Erica laughed at her childhood nickname.

"Imma beat you, 'Cedes," she replied into her embrace as Mercedes chuckled.

"You look so beautiful," she told her.

"I'm happy," Erica retorted. And Mercedes nodded.

"I noticed that, too."

"Well, _I _noticed a tall figure on your arm with you all day." Erica said and Mercedes laughed.

"That's Sam. I would introduce you but I can't get him to stop talking to Marcus." She rolled her eyes and Erica nodded.

"I didn't know or I wouldn't have invited Derr-,"

"It's okay," Mercedes interrupted. Erica smiled.

"He's really cute, 'Cedes," she said, nodding to Sam. "And he can't keep his hands off you," She noted and Mercedes smirked.

"He's _funny_," Mercedes breathed as she looked at him.

"How long has it been-a few months?" She asked and Mercedes almost laughed. She shook her head as she continued to stare at him.

"It's complicated," she replied simply. Erica chuckled.

"I remember when you were a freshmen in high school during my senior year and you met Derrick. You would go on and on about how much you liked him all the time. _Derrick _this, _Derrick, _that." Erica paused. "But I never once saw you look at him the way you're looking at this guy right now." She said and Mercedes looked back at her quickly, realizing only then that she'd been caught in a trance watching him. Erica laughed as she shrugged. She took her younger cousin in for another hug and rubbed her back.

"I'm just saying, girl." She muttered. It was then that she realized how much she missed Erica. She mentally decided then that she would try and spend more time with her again. They talked for a moment more before Kevin came and whisked his wife away. Mercedes smiled as she watched them walk away together. But her smile was gone as quickly as it came as she turned around, finding Sam no longer with Marcus. Instead, he stood with an unreadable expression, his hands in his pockets, face-to-face with Derrick.


	10. Chapter 7 The Wedding Part Three

MERCEDES' POV

"That's her decision," She heard Sam saying as she quickly approached them. His eyes darted to hers before snapping back to Derrick. They were clouded with an emotion that she didn't recognize but she had a bad feeling about it. She never wanted this to happen. She never even considered that it could happen-Sam and Derrick being anywhere near each other. The thought of it made her feel queasy. The thought of _Derrick _made her queasy.

"What's my decision?" She asked as she stood next to him.

"Derrick was asking me if it was _okay _if you and him talked in private." Sam explained, his expression straight.

"I hope you don't mind I introduced myself," Derrick said.

"Actually, I do." She replied quickly and even she was a little shocked by the bravado in her voice-a tone that was rare in her voice when talking to him. She knew then that it was Sam's presence next to her that strengthened her and she wasn't completely sure how to feel about that."What do you want Derrick?"

"To talk to you," He told her.

* * *

"Then why are you talking to _him_?" She asked, gesturing to Sam.

"Look, she doesn't exactly need my permission to talk to you." Sam told him. "She's a grown woman, not some dog on a leash." He said and Mercedes was slightly surprised by the coldness of his tone. She realized then as she looked at him, his gaze never leaving Derrick, that he was angry. And she wasn't sure how he would deal with it. She'd seen Sam offended and verging on angry the day he left but she'd never seen him like this. He looked tense everywhere and his hands wouldn't leave his pockets. She had to do something. She wrapped her arm around his and tugged a bit to get his attention.

"Why don't you go get the gift out of the car?" She asked him when he finally looked down at her, his tightened face softening as she smiled at him.. "It's in the trunk, I completely forgot about it." She said, handing him the keys from her purse.

"No problem," he replied quietly as he turned around. She watched as he walked away, turning back to Derrick only once he was gone. His face was as smug as ever. _How could I have not hated it before?_ She wondered.

"For the record, I don't think you're a dog on a leash." He said, breaking the short but icy silence between them.

"What do you want?" She asked him, rolling her eyes.

"Can we sit down?"

"Whatever," Mercedes shrugged. They sat at the nearest empty table and her foot tapped impatiently the moment it hit the floor.

"So where did you two meet?" He asked and Mercedes scoffed, her eyes narrowed.

"We're not doing this, Derrick." She said as she moved to stand. His hand was on hers in a second and her nostrils flared at his touch immediately. She looked down at this hand and snatched hers away quickly."What the hell do you want?" She almost yelled. "You can't just come here to _my _cousin's wedding and try to have a conversation with me. I didn't sit over here to have a little _chat _with you. You either have something to say to me or you don't so what it is?"

"I have a brain tumor." Derrick spit out. Mercedes froze, her mouth falling open. She flopped back down in her chair as her thoughts scrambled. She was quiet for a moment, her eyes darting quickly around the fabric of her dress as she stared down.

"What?" She breathed, her eyes finally meeting his again. She was floored.

"It's what I came to tell you." He said. "Well I didn't really come to tell you that as much as I came to apologize to you." He continued. "I'm going into surgery in two weeks. The doctor's couldn't make me any promises."

"So what do you want, a clean conscious?" Mercedes replied, regretting the way it sounded immediately.

"No, no. I-," he shook his head. "I know that I hurt you, Mercedes." He admitted. "And I also know that I never directly apologized to you." He sighed as a tear quickly fell down his cheek. "I know I could be an asshole a lot of the time, but I did love you, Mercedes. And you didn't deserve what I did to you. You didn't deserve that." He shook his head. "The last thing I wanna do is leave this earth knowing that you hate me." He told her. She absorbed what he was saying but even as she heard all his words and his plea for forgiveness, she could only recall all the countless nights she'd spent crying alone in her room because of what he'd done. All the time she'd spent hating men, all the time she'd spent doubting herself-all because of him. And now he was dying and he wanted her forgiveness. But she didn't know if she could find it in herself to give it to him.

SAM'S POV

Sam had never imagined that Derrick would approach him and introduce himself. He wasn't prepared for it at all and when it happened he was taken a back. But not only that, he was instantly angered. He was angered by how easily he approached him, considering all he'd put Mercedes through.

"You're Sam, right? The guy who's dating Mercedes?" He asked. Sam's eyes narrowed immediately. At the time he had no idea who he was, but something about him bothered him on sight.

"Who's asking?" Sam had replied.

"I'm Derrick," he said. His whole body had tensed immediately and he'd almost reflexively stuffed his fists in his pockets. He'd only just met him and he knew immediately how bad he'd been for Mercedes. He hated the fact that Derrick had felt the need to come to him first in order to talk to Mercedes-as if she answered to him. As if she couldn't make her own decisions. He realized then that he'd probably expected that from Mercedes when they were together-submissiveness. _Weakness_.

He didn't want to be anywhere near him. He was relieved when she'd asked him to go get the gift. He needed the space. Sam wasn't quickly or easily angered, but when he got angry enough, he was known for lashing out. He didn't want to do that there, not in front of her family, not even in front of Mercedes. It wasn't something he was proud of-the horrific fights in middle school after he got fed up with being bullied daily over his lips. After it all went down, he was forced to go to anger management therapy once a week for two months and then once a month until he graduated high school. The fights really were horrific. He hadn't hit anyone since then, but then he'd never been as angry as he was since then until Derrick. So he needed the fresh air. He didn't want to relive those dark days.

After Sam put the gift into the stack, he sat at a table far enough from them so that it didn't seem like he was watching them but close enough for him to see. Marcus and a few more of her relatives gathered around and talked with him but he found it hard to pay attention to them. He watched her facial expressions change, he watched her listening intently as he spoke, and lastly, he watched Derrick's head fall as she said something to him and he said only one more thing, before he left. Sam sat for a moment more, watching to see what she would do next-who she would look for. But she only sat there blank faced. Something was wrong.

"Excuse me, guys." He said as he left the table and headed her way. He approached her slowly, watching her intently to see if anything would change-if she had just been fixated on something on the floor. But there was nothing. She seemed almost completely out of it.

"Mercedes?" He called as he knelt down next to her. She blinked and then looked at him, a forced smile spreading across her lips.

"Hey," she said in weak enthusiasm. "I think I'm ready to go now." She told him. And he nodded.

"Everything alright?" He asked her as he stood, taking her hand in his and helping her to her feet. She nodded as she looked at him, that same fake smile on her face. It was starting to literally pain him.

"Let's just go," she said. He nodded again as he sighed. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like he would hear about it tonight. He walked with her to give a hug to her mother and say goodbye. She made them promise that they'd come to a small family dinner in a couple weeks and he watched Mercedes agree weakly. He could tell that her mom was concerned by the way she looked at him as she hugged Mercedes for a second time. But he was uninformed and he could only shake his head.

She let him drive-which he considered a bad sign in itself. She was completely silent and his brain was rocking with all the things that could have happened. He just wished she would tell him. He couldn't look at her blank face and consciously convince himself that whatever happened wasn't a big deal.

"Do you want me to just take you home?" He asked her and he saw her shake her head in his peripheral vision. He was relieved to know she still wanted to come home with him but sex was the last thing on his mind. "We can just go get you some clothes," he offered.

"No," she finally spoke. "Alicia came home today and I just don't wanna run into her right now, let's just-" she trailed off and he nodded, though he was still confused. _What the hell happened? _He thought. All possible answers in his head pointed to him bashing Derrick's face in.

Devon left a quick note on their refrigerator that said "At Alicia's", leaving them in the dorm alone. Before he could even ask, she insisted on showering alone. He straightened his bedroom as she did so, his mind wondering. She stayed in there for a while-longer than she ever had during that past week. He could only imagine what she must have been thinking about. But he wouldn't dream of forcing it out of her. He'd learned today from her cousin that Mercedes wasn't exactly an open book-except when she was with him. So the fact that she couldn't voluntarily tell him what was going on worried him but he also wanted to respect her privacy. It just wouldn't stop nagging him. How was he supposed to sleep next to her that night with no explanation as to why she could barely look at him or anything besides the floor?

He jumped from his bed when he heard her coming in from the shower. She'd decided to sleep in the dress slip she'd been wearing under her dress and he couldn't help but notice she looked amazing in it. She didn't say a word when she entered. She only walked past him, tip-toeing up and dropping a light kiss on his lips before she continued. He couldn't enjoy it. He knew she'd only done it to make him feel like he didn't need to be worried but it wouldn't work. He was so worried he couldn't see straight. He showered quickly before he returned to the room, finding her underneath his covers and turned away. She wasn't asleep. He knew how her body was when she was asleep and that was anything but still. He got next to her, pulling her close and onto his chest. She didn't fight, she only sighed. But he could feel the tears from her eyes on his bare skin. He closed his eyes as he sighed.

"Baby, I don't know what happened," he started as his fingertip circled around the middle of her back. "but I just really need you to know that whatever it is, I'm here for you. It's killing me watching you like this." He almost whispered the end. "Everything in me wants to hurt him like he hurt you." He said and she sighed again just before she sat up. He followed suit quickly, staring at the back of her didn't say a word, he could only hear her sniffling. Moments passed before he spoke again.

"Mercedes I-„"

"Do you know what he said to me before he left after he told me he was cheating and that he was so much happier with her?" She interrupted. Sam shook his head as he moved around to sit In_dian style _in front of her so he could look at her. Her face was wet with tears. He wiped her face with his thumbs and shook his head again.

"What did he say?" He asked and she exhaled loudly.

"He said, _you were right_." She told him. Sam's skin stung with the words. "He cheated on me for two months and he didn't even have the decency to apologize until tonight."

"Then he doesn't deserve your forgiveness." Sam replied. She almost laughed.

"That's what I thought," she said. She shook her head as she looked down at her fingers. A silence stretched between them before she sighed again and continued,

"He's dying, Sam." She told him finally and his eyebrows shot up. "It's not concrete but, he's got a brain tumor and he's going into surgery soon. He said the doctor's can't guarantee he'll survive it." Sam was at a lost for words but he could tell she didn't expect him to say anything yet. She put her face in her hands and groaned and Sam rubbed her back gently until she sat up straight again. "He came here to apologize to me for what he did before he possibly _dies _and I couldn't forgive him." She admitted and that was when his heart shattered for her. She shook her head as she started to sob, her head falling forward and into him as she cried. "I couldn't-," she whimpered out. He wrapped his arms tight around her as strangled sobs escaped her continuously, her body shaking with didn't say a word, only let her cry until she didn't need to anymore.

"You can't beat yourself up for this," he told her once she'd calmed down. "You were betrayed, Mercedes, by someone you told me you thought you would be with forever." He said. "Him being sick and his life being at risk doesn't just suddenly make that disappear, he has to understand that. _You _have to understand that."

"I feel like a horrible person," she whispered.

"You're _not_." He told her. She sniffed.

"I don't hate him, Sam." She said as she met his gaze again. "I don't hate him like I thought I would when I saw him for the first time again." She went on. "But he hurt me so bad. So much of me has changed because of what he did and he just got to disappear and be happy." She shook her head. "How am I supposed to forgive him for that?"

"Maybe one day you'll be able to. But if today isn't that day and even if tomorrow isn't, it's not _your _fault." Sam told her, his hand caressing her cheek. "It wasn't fair to you. You are _not _a horrible person. I don't know anyone who would've been able to do what he asked you to do." He assured her. She shook her head as exhaled, wrapping her arms around him. They moved back to the front of the bed and she lay her head on his chest again. She laughed quietly.

"I'm damaged, Sam." She muttered into his embrace. "You should get away as fast as you can." He chuckled because he'd been thinking the exact opposite. He'd been thinking how much he cared about her and how long it seemed he'd waited to finally see her beautiful smile again since they'd left the wedding. He hated that it had all happened at all. Her eyes were more swollen than ever and her voice was hoarse, but she was there with him and she was at least laughing again despite what she'd just been through, and that was enough to bring him a bit of peace.

"Zip it, you're perfect." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

"_Run,_" She joked and he shook his head, smiling as her skin warmed against his. He interlaced their fingers and kissed her hand before replying;

"Not a chance,"


	11. Chapter 8

Kept this one a little short-but I think you're all going to enjoy it anyway! Thanks for all your feedback! :)

MERCEDES' POV

The day of her cousin's wedding had seemed like one of the longest days of her life. She'd never been a fan of weddings in general but this one definitely took the cake for worst one ever. It had been beautiful and she was happy for her cousin, but it was basically doomed for Mercedes the moment she found out Derrick would be there. She wondered if she'd been a bit more optimistic, if it would have still turned out to be so awful. She had no hope of sleeping that night. Until she'd spoken to Sam, she didn't think she would find any peace. She'd felt so guilty and heartless. She'd almost been ashamed to tell Sam about it-afraid he would judge her. But he didn't. He'd been there for her just like all the other times before in the little time that they'd known each other. After he'd held her, let her cry and vent-after he'd helped her understand that she wasn't at fault-he'd wrapped her in his arms and kissed her softly on the shoulder, and she'd fallen peacefully asleep to the rhythm of his steady breathing on her skin.

The next morning she woke to the absence of his touch. Her eyes opened slowly and she turned to find him no longer in bed, but at his desk instead. He was shirtless and in his boxers, his hair disheveled, and his head buried in a book. She liked seeing him focused and so determined that he didn't even notice her watching him. And frankly, she'd woken up feeling all the desire that had been rushing through her in the dressing room at the wedding flooding back into her veins. And seeing him there, his brows straight and focused, his arms tight as they rested on his desk, his bare strong back and shoulders, she honestly didn't know if she could resist. She stood from the bed and moved towards him.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she approached him. He sighed as he stretched.

"It's Sunday. Which means I have to-," he faltered when her lips touched his neck. She smiled against it, leaning down behind him as she kissed it again.

"Which means?" She said.

* * *

"I have to finish all my-," he paused again when she moved to stand in front of him, her eyes locked with his as she straddled his lap. "-homework." he finished. She turned her upper body back to look at his desk, smiling at the small sound of his breath hitching when her lower body reflexively moved forward against him. He was hard already.

"Isn't that a Business textbook?" She asked him, turning again to meet his gaze. His lips were slightly parted when she looked at him, his eyes already colored with desire.

"Mhm," he mumbled, his hands moving up her thighs and around to grab her ass beneath her slip.

"I thought you were an Art major?" She questioned as her hands slid up his bare chest and around his neck, kissing his neck again.

"_Minor_." He breathed as he moved his head to try and kiss her lips. She grabbed his face and turned it back to the right so she could reach his neck again, kissing it once more before moving her way up to kiss his ear, tugging on it softly.

"Business and Art?" She asked against his ear and he nodded, his breathing slowing as she kissed the corner of his mouth, teasing him.

"For Advertisement," he explained, his voice low. And she nodded when she understood, just before she finally kissed him on the lips. A quiet groan escaped him when their lips connected. Her skin heated beneath his hands as they glided up beneath her slip and up her back before moving back down to cup her behind again. She loved the way his hands always tended to focus on her thighs and her butt, it was almost like he couldn't help it. The kiss quickly heated up and she frowned when he suddenly pulled back.

"I just wanna say you don't have to do this to thank me for last night or-,"

"Sam, stop," she threw her hand up. "I'm not doing this to thank you, I'm doing it because I'm really horny and we didn't finish what we started yesterday, now are we gonna have sex on this desk or not?" She asked and his eyes widened as he looked at her. He reached around her toe get a condom from the desk drawer and placed it on the desk before he quickly lifted her and placed her on top of the desk, too, picking up his book and sending it flying across the room. She saw his eyes flash to her nipples peaking through her slip and he removed it quickly before their lips collided again, his hands cupping her bare breasts and massaging against them. His fingers looped around the thin strings of her thong and pulled it down slowly just as he fell to his knees. He pulled her forward by her thighs, spreading them to give himself access before he licked up her slit slowly and her head fell back in pleasure immediately. She moaned as his tongue moved tortuously on her sex, her back arching in and her fingers wrapped tightly around the edge of the desk. Her skin was on fire as he sucked her clit into his mouth. Her hand knotted into his hair as she moaned. She couldn't imagine it could feel any better until his fingers were inside of her-just like in her dream-long and skilled. They moved in and out as he continued to suck and lick. She felt close but she didn't want to finish this way. She grabbed a handful of his hair and parted his mouth from her, her legs shaking. He looked up at her curiously but willfully stood to his feet. She pulled him closer to her, pulling his boxers down as far as she could while sitting down. He pulled them down the rest of the way and he groaned when she took his length into her hand, stroking slowly and softly before she picked up the condom, opened and slipped it onto him. She took him by surprised when she suddenly pushed him down onto the chair. She wanted to be on top. She straddled him again and he swore under his breath as she slid onto him. She moved up and down_, up and down_, slowly at first as she created a rhythm. His hands reached forward to cup her breast as she moved, his head falling over the back of the chair in pleasure. And it wasn't long before she picked up the pace, arching her back as she moaned. She could see him coming apart as she rode him, his hands moving down until his finger were digging into her ass as he helped her move it up and down on top of him. She moaned loudly when he leaned up and took one of her nipples in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and sucking as she continued to ride. She was close again, her body tingling all around as her climax rushed towards her. But suddenly his arms were gripping around her thighs and he was lifting her and placing her back on top of the desk, pulling her thighs forward and slipping into her again. He moved in and out of her quickly and she moaned as quietly as her pleasure would allow her-remembering from experience that college dorm room walls were thin. She leaned back on her hands as he continued to fill her over and over. He crashed his lips into hers, containing her quickly heightening moans as she moved closer to her climax. She wrapped her arms around him, her forehead falling onto his shoulder for a moment just before she lifted her head and pressed her teeth softly into his shoulder. He sucked air in between his teeth as she bit him.

"Shit," he groaned. The sensation all over her, moans ripping through her. She could feel him everywhere. She cried out as she came and only moments later she could feel him coming, too. She dropped her head on his shoulder and he laughed.

"What?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"You bit me," he told her.

"And _you_," she paused, looking down at his erection. "Did _that_," she continued and he chuckled as he pulled out. He kissed her softly on the lips as she slid off of the desk, her slip in hand.

"You started it," he said as she walked back towards the bed. "Where are you going?" He asked her as she put her bra back on.

"I have to go see Alicia. She texted me yesterday while I was talking to Derrick and I kind of ignored her. She said she needed to talk to me." She explained as she pulled her dress over her slip.

"So you're just gonna leave? Just gonna hit it and quit it/? Wham, bam, thank you, Sam?" He joked as she looked for her shoes and she laughed.

"Where are my shoes?!" She asked in frustration. And when she turned around he was holding them in his hand. "Give 'em." She said.

"Come here," He told her. She smiled and shook her head as she walked towards him, reaching for her shoes. He quickly lifted them high before she could get them.

"_Sam_," she groaned.

"What about my car?" He asked her and she sighed as she remembered then that his car was still at her apartment.

"You better get dressed then," she told him. After he threw on a shirt and shorts they drove quickly to her apartment.

"Am I gonna see you at school?" He asked, they stood in the parking lot of her apartment as he released her from a hug, kissing her softly on the lips.

"You never have before," she said as she moved to walk away. He grabbed her hand before she could and pulled her roughly into him, kissing her again, this time longer and deeply before he let her go. Her eyes opened slowly, moving up from his lips to meet his gaze. His lips were mesmerizing. He smiled as he looked down at her before he replied,

"I'll be looking this time,"

She grinned as she walked away, missing him immediately. When she walked into her apartment she found Alicia on the couch. She jumped up as soon as Mercedes came in. She was excited to see her and hear all about her trip but the look on her face was anything but happy. She was dressed only in small shorts and a tank top, her eyes were swollen yet wide, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"Alicia?" She said as she moved towards her quickly.

"Hey, 'Cedes," she managed.

"Alicia, what's wrong? Where's Devon?" She asked her as she stood before.

"He went to work." She told her, a weak smile pulling at her lips.

"Alicia," Mercedes breathed. She pulled her to the couch and sat her down with her. "What's going on with you?"

"I just-," she sighed as she shook her head. "I haven't gotten my period yet." She told her. Mercedes' mouth dropped open a bit before she quickly pulled it together, determined to stay strong for Alicia. But she already knew where this was going.

"For how long?" She asked and Alicia groaned.

"A week and a half." She said, burying her face in her hands.

"You could just be late, 'Licia, that's not 100%, it's not like you've taken a test or anything." She said, her hand resting on Alicia's back. Alicia froze before she slowly lifted her head to look at Mercedes, her face telling. She _had _taken a test. Mercedes covered her mouth in shock as she realized this. "Have you told Devon?" She asked. Alicia shook her head quickly.

"I tried to last night-I wanted to. But I couldn't." She cried. "We're so young, Mercedes. I can't do this."

Mercedes took her best friend into her arms, keeping her close and rubbing her back.

"We don't know yet, Alicia," she told her, though fear was quickly creeping into her. "These test are wrong all the time, it could be wrong. We don't know." She reassured her. Alicia cried for a moment more before she was quiet and resting in Mercedes' arms.

"I have an appointment tomorrow." She told her. "I made it while I was home. Just in case the test came back positive when I got back here. And it did so," she shrugged. "I guess I can't cancel it." She said. Mercedes nodded. "Will you go with me?" She asked her. "I'm not ready to tell Devon yet. I'm just not. I don't know what he's gonna say." She shook her. "We're too young," she whispered. Mercedes sighed, her heart aching for her best friend.

"I'll go with you," she told her, hugging her tightly again. "Of course I will."


	12. Chapter 9

MERCEDES' POV

She spent the rest of the day trying to keep Alicia in good spirits. She decided not to tell her about everything with Sam-she didn't want to spring her happiness onto her while she was in this state. Instead, she let her tell her about her break. Alicia was one of the most excitable and animated people she knew. But as she spoke, her expression was singular, her voice monotone. It was clear that she was only talking but her mind hadn't left the very terrifying possibility that she might be pregnant while she'd just barely made it out of her "teens". Mercedes was scared for her but also confused. She wondered if this was the result of conscious unprotected sex and if so, _why? _Alicia had always been the greatest advocate for safe sex. She stuffed Mercedes night stand drawer with condoms every single week. How could this have happened to _her? _But she knew this would be the wrong time to ask. She didn't ask any questions, only listened and did her best to distract her. All of her attempts to do so failed because it didn't make the possible baby in her stomach stop growing. She complained of biting cramps and nausea throughout the day, afterwards she would only look at Mercedes and frown. Mercedes didn't know what to do. The truth was, Alicia didn't need her, she needed Devon. He was the one who's mental support she needed above anyone elses. But she wouldn't say anything about her telling him until they knew for sure whether or not she was pregnant.

* * *

As the night grew later, they parted ways-Alicia to her bedroom and Mercedes to hers. She could hear her sniffling quietly in her room as she went to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She knew Alicia and she knew that if she was crying in her room, she didn't want to be bothered. So she continued to her room, closing the door behind her. She looked through her closet for something to wear to class and work the next day. After looking for about five minutes, she decided on a simple deep red peplum shirt and black skinny jeans. Afterwards she checked through her planner, making sure she hadn't left out any homework that needed to be done during the break. Then she wrapped her hair and showered before she got ready for bed. When she entered her room again, she saw the green LED light on her phone lighting up, signaling that she had a text. She smiled when she read the name.

_What are you wearing?_ She lifted an eyebrow as she read it, laying down in the middle of her bed.

_Sam Evans are you trying to sext me right now? _She replied. She couldn't help the grin on her face as she put her phone down. It was the first time they'd ever texted each other and the anticipation was insane. When her phone sounded again, she grabbed it before it could even finish vibrating.

_Just asking a question_. He said and she shook her head.

_Clothes. _She told him. She placed her phone down next to her and continued to smile to herself as she waited.

_Why? _He replied and her lips formed a tiny "O" before she bit her bottom one as she giggled. It was the first time she'd laughed since she'd been home. And remembering that sort of depressed her. She decided to change the subject.

_Did you finish your homework?_

_Yeah. But I had to do it at the table. Couldn't focus on that desk. _He replied and she laughed.

_Sorry._ She wrote back. And his response was quick.

_I'm not._

She smiled. She moved to respond but her phone sounded again before she could.

_Gonna be weird sleeping w/o you. _She sighed at his words. She hadn't considered it until now. It was just another thing that scared her about being with him-the dependence. She recalled the day before when they'd been at the wedding face to face with Derrick, and she'd felt a second wind of strength with Sam next to her. And now she was at a point where she was used to sleeping in a bed with him-where she slept more peacefully that way. She couldn't help but wonder what would happened when whatever they were doing came to an end. Her life probably would require major adjustments and that scared her. She'd always found depending on others dangerous. She'd never been comfortable with _needing _someone else because nothing was ever set and stone with human beings to her. There was no longer any denying that she liked him a lot and he her. But for how long? Her phone beeped once more, interrupting her thinking. She opened the text to find a picture of him making the silliest face she'd ever seen-his lips somehow looked bigger and his eyes were stretched. She laughed as she looked at it.

_For my contact photo. The little grey faces make me uncomfortable. _It read beneath it.

_Lol all I see are lips. _She replied.

_That's all I am to you isn't it?_

_Yep. _She sent. She smiled as she cropped the picture until it was just his lips and set it as his contact picture. They texted for a while longer before they said goodnight. She lay in the middle of the bed her, legs and arms wrapped tightly around the pillow where his head had rested for the past week. She smiled when she found his scent there-the word _dependence_ somewhere far off in the distance. The pillow was nothing compared to the warmth she felt when was next to her, but it would have to suffice.

The next morning when she woke, she went through her morning routine-brushing her teeth, cleaning and moisturizing her skin, getting dressed, styling her hair and applying her make-up-all while trying to ignore how odd it felt to wake up without Sam there. Afterwards, she toasted herself a bagel. She could hear Alicia snoring as she ate in the dining room. Alicia would usually wake up at the sound of Mercedes' bedroom door opening. She was the lightest sleeper the ever walk the earth and yet she'd slept peacefully through Mercedes moving around in the kitchen as she prepared her breakfast. It was unheard of, really. Something was definitely different. After she ate she headed to campus. It was 10:15 and her first class of the day started at 10:30. She thanked her lucky stars that she'd managed to get a late morning Monday class and that she only had two classes that day.

Her Marketing class seemed to fly right by. Her professor was fun and did his best to make the class fun, too. It was the only reason it was bearable. She got a text halfway into it from Alicia telling her that her appointment was at two. That would leave her with no time to do anything afterwards except go straight to work for her 4:00-10:00 shift. She hadn't been to work in over a week and she really couldn't afford to be late. Her boss at _Guess _was patient and down to earth. But she didn't want to push it. She sent Alicia a quick _ok _back and sighed, hoping that her appointment time wouldn't run over. It was her Research and Analysis class that dragged on. She kept telling herself not to look at the clock but with every word her professor spoke, her eyes became more and more _glued _to it. He spoke in one voice constantly and he _constantly _spoke. The sad part was that in all his talking, he still didn't explain _anything. _Mercedes had learned quickly that she would have to go home and teach herself after his class and so far she was doing well. When the class finally ended, she headed to her car. They had agreed to take separate cars so that Mercedes could head straight to work when the appointment was over. Her mind was running wild as she drove, realizing that the next time she got into her car, she would know whether her best friend was having a baby or not. It was terrifying.

She found Alicia sitting in the waiting room when she got there at 1:45. Her hair was thrown into a loose pony tail, her face clear, and her usually fashionable clothing replaced with a simple white summer dress and sandals for the day. She was staring down at her hands, her mind clearly gone. It wasn't until Mercedes sat down next to her that she looked up. Mercedes grabbed her best friends hand and held it, looking at her and smiling reassuringly.

"No matter what happens, everything's gonna be alright." She promised her and Alicia chuckled quietly and almost sarcastically as a tear immediately ran down her cheek. Her eyes teared so easily-the ways eyes do after they've been crying for a while. Alicia rested her head on her shoulder as she cried-no sounds escaping her, Mercedes could only _feel _her body rocking against her as she sobbed. She didn't say another word then, only waited with her until her name was called.

After the nurse took her weight and blood pressure Alicia was escorted to a room with Mercedes by her side. The doctor arrived within five minutes of them being placed to the room much to Mercedes' relief. Alicia was on the bed, her knees up and her legs open as Mercedes sat in the chair next to her. She cringed at the sight of the long white device that Dr. Hart was covering in some sort of plastic. She saw Alicia's eyes squint close when the doctor pushed it inside of her after she covered the tip of it with gel. Mercedes tried to stop her heart from racing. She couldn't imagine what Alicia must have been thinking and feeling. For the most part, Dr. Hart had been very talkative-seemingly oblivious to the fact that Alicia was terrified. So Mercedes became increasingly more scared when the doctor suddenly became quiet, her eyes fixated on the ultrasound screen as she moved the white stick around. Alicia's eyes were glued to the screen as well, her hands clutching the sides of the bed. Mercedes didn't know what to look for so the screen seemed irrelevant to her. She just wanted to know from the doctor's mouth. Suddenly Doctor Hart removed the stick and moved to press a few buttons on the keyboard of the ultrasound machine. And then all at once, both of the best friends' hearts stopped at the sound of the quietly beating one coming from the screen.

"_Six weeks._" Alicia said as she stood in front of Mercedes' car next to her outside of the doctor's office. Doctor Hart had confirmed that Alicia was indeed pregnant and that she was already a month and a couple of weeks along. Mercedes couldn't believe it. But she was glad that her best friend had finally stopped crying. Ever since they'd come out of the office, her eyes had been dry. Mercedes couldn't decide if that was a good sign or a bad one but she would take what she could get because now she could say what she needed to say to Alicia. It was 3:15 and her job was about forty-five minutes away. She couldn't beat around the bush.

"Are you going to tell him?" She asked and Alicia froze. She was silent, just as Mercedes had expected her to be. "Alicia,"

"I guess so." She finally whispered.

"When?"

"I don't know," She replied. "I'm so scared. I don't know. I don't know what he's going to say." She continued as she sighed. Mercedes nodded in understanding.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked her.

"That he'll freak out and break up with me. Or that he won't want the baby." She shrugged. "I don't even know if _I _want the baby." She almost whispered. Mercedes shook her head. Alicia had always talked about wanting a family, even since the very day they met. Mercedes knew she wanted the baby. The timing just seemed so wrong and Mercedes suddenly so bad for her best friend that one of her dreams could suddenly become less appealing to her. She sighed as she looked at her. She wanted her to be happy and she never laughed more than when Devon was around.

"Does he love you?" Mercedes asked her and Alicia sniffed as she looked at her.

"He says he does." She said.

"Then tell him," she urged her. Mercedes wasn't one for love stories and fairy tales but she just believed that if she would just tell him, it would work out somehow. "If he loves you, then there's no way he won't love what you and him created together. Or at least be with you to make a decision on what to do about it." She said. She hugged her friend tightly and for a moment longer than usual before she let her go. "Just tell him," she said and Alicia nodded.

"I love you, 'Licia." She told her as she got into her car.

"I love you, too 'Cedes." She heard her best friend reply, just before she backed out of the parking lot and headed to work.


	13. NOT A CHAPTER

Hey guys. :)

As you can see I'm working on reposting the story. Please let me know of any bugs you might be encountering. Also ignore the horizontal lines placed in really awkward places. They're not time breaks, they're from the "read more" link on tumblr. I can't get rid of them for some reason. The horizontal lines that actually make sense are obviously there for as time breaks though, you can adhere to those lol.

I'm working currently on finding the tenth chapter, it seems to have disappeared. If anyone reblogged the chapter itself from me on tumblr-not the link-please send me the link to the post! I'll try my best to locate it by tomorrow and then I'll get back to reposting. Let me know if you guys prefer me to just upload everything on the same day or if you want me to upload them gradually. like maybe one or two chapters a day. I don't want to blow up your emails and then end up on your blacklists because I annoyed you lol.

Thanks again for all your support and I hope you enjoy rereading :)


	14. Chapter 10

MERCEDES' POV

Almost two weeks had passed since the week after the wedding. In those two weeks Mercedes and Sam had grown even closer. They ate lunch together often on campus. Most days she would go to his dorm after her classes to visit him for a while if he was home. They'd officially christened his bed multiple times, being extra careful now that her best friend was knocked up. She even slept over sometimes which was convenient since she could just wake up and walk to class. This week, her Friday class had been canceled and Sam didn't have any classes on Fridays so she spent the night on Thursday night. Even though her job at Guess would be a great reference on her resume for the future, she agreed to go to the Paid Internships Fair with Sam on Friday early in the morning on campus. After she begged enough he finally agreed to let her pick out his outfit. She paired his light blue dress shirt with a pair of dark blue slim fitting slacks he had, along with a light brown belt she found in his closet and shoes that almost perfectly matched it. He hadn't shaved his facial hair in a while, he'd only shaped it for the internship fair, and she liked it a lot. He looked damn good and she had to admit that she was proud to say she'd put his ensemble together and that she got to kiss him whenever she wanted. For herself, she dressed in a long sleeved soft blue jersey wrap dress that complimented her curves while keeping it business casual. She hadn't even realized that he and her were matching until they stood in the mirror together while she put on her lip gloss and he adjusted his collar.

"Swear to God I didn't plan this," she said as she found him looking from him to her in the mirror. He shook his head.

"Mhm," he replied sarcastically and she chuckled before she bent forward towards the mirror to apply her mascara. "I dunno if I'm gonna be able to focus with you wearing that dress," He said and she could see him looking at her butt as she bent.

"Could you focus any better if I took it off?" She flirted as she stood up straight. He shook his head, moving to stand behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You take it off and we're not leaving this dorm room," he told her just before he leaned down to kiss her neck softly. Her skin chilled beneath his lips.

"I guess we have a dilemma then." She said and he shook his head again before he dragged his lips across the skin of her neck.

"No dilemma," he almost whispered as he turned her around to face him, his eyes already on her lips. Her body was warming up as he told her, "Take it off," just before he pressed his lips into hers. She felt a tug in the bottom of her stomach as he kissed her, his tongue roaming her mouth and his hands searching her body. She slid up and on top of the sink counter behind her so that her neck wasn't straining to reach his soft lips. Her body was aching for him like it always did when he touched her like this. He stood in between her legs and she moaned quietly against his mouth as she felt him growing against her. It wasn't until they heard the sound of the front door opening that they detached and she slid quickly off of the counter.

"Devon probably just got back from your place." He whispered. "He should be leaving soon though, I'm pretty sure they have a doctor's thing today," he spoke quickly before he moved to kiss her again.

"Uh uh," she said, pressing her hand against his chest to stop him. "We gotta go," she told him and he groaned as she turned him around and placed her hands on his back to push him through the bathroom door.

"No fun," he complained.

"Don't forget to bring your painting clothes," she told him. Mercedes had only just recently found out that she was allowed to paint her apartment as long as she painted it back white before she moved out. They'd gone to Home Depot together earlier in the week and bought a soft yet deep purple color paint and they planned to put it to good use after they left the internship fair. Sam had already researched the company he planned to talk to so he promised they wouldn't be there long.

She walked around the gym where the fair was being held as Sam stood in the line to talk to Brown and Pierce Advertising. It wasn't long before she approached a table for a fashion company called Zest. Before she could even speak, the fashionably dressed woman with a short black bob who sat at the table-she looked to be of Indian descent-stood and reached her hand out to her.

"Shivranni Kapoor," she introduced. "I love your dress,"she told her as she shook her hand.

"Mercedes Jones, and thank you." she replied.

"Here you go," she said as she handed her a brochure for the company and a piece of paper that looked to be an application. "We're looking for girls who know how to dress, sew, and sell. You seem to have one of those aspects down, how would you rate yourself on the other two?" She asked. The woman spoke with purpose and quickly as if she didn't want to waste time. Mercedes honestly hadn't even know if she was interested in being an intern but she decided to indulge the woman anyway.

"Uh, well, the selling part shouldn't be a problem. I've been working at Guess for almost nine months now. I've never really learned how to sew though."

"Are you willing to learn?" The woman fired back.

"I gue-,"

"Great!" she interrupted as she jabbed a pen towards Mercedes. "Just fill out the application and I'll give you a call about when you start,"

"Wait, wait, wait," Mercedes said, dumbfounded. "Are you giving me the job?" She asked. And the lady stared at her for a moments, her hands on her hips before she dropped them down almost hopelessly.

"Okay, here's the truth," she started. "My boss Tess Elliot is on my ass about finding someone to fill her old interns spot. I see something in you that I haven't seen in all the other girls I've talked to today, I don't know what it is yet but I think my boss will see it, too." Mercedes smiled as she spoke, flattered. But she already had a job. She didn't know if she was willing to give that up for an internship that might not even pay much.

"Thank you. But the thing is, like I said I already have a job and an apartment I have to pay for, I just don't think-what are you doing?" She asked the woman as she wrote something on a piece of paper before handing it to her. "What's this?" She asked as she looked at the numbers on the small piece of paper, though she already knew the answer. She just couldn't believe it.

"Your starting salary," Shrivanni replied. Mercedes' eyes widened. She looked at the card one more time before returning her wide gaze to the woman.

"Almost 30,000 dollars?!" She exclaimed. "For a part time internship?"

"A quite demanding one." The woman retorted.

"What about school? Will it interfere with school?"

"If you have the determination, work ethic, and drive that I hope you have, you should be fine." She told her. "We can work around your class schedule so that it doesn't interfere but it will still be your job to make time for homework and such." Mercedes nodded as she understood, suddenly excited. She filled out the short application before returning it to the woman. She explained that she'd like to meet the boss first before she made a decision but that she was very interested. Shrivanni promised to give her a call to schedule a meeting and interview and afterwards they shook hands again and Mercedes walked away with the largest of grins on her face. She only hoped her job would understand how big of an opportunity this would be. From what the brochure said, it would allow her to travel and work with some of the most popular fashion designers. How could she possibly pass up on that?

When she doubled back to where she'd parted from Sam, she found him talking confidently to a man in a dark suit and she couldn't help but smile. Her brows furrowed when she moved her vision a few inches to the left and found a couple of girls with long legs and blonde hair ogling him. She shook her head as she looked back at Sam. He didn't even notice them. And if she had blinked she would've missed him quickly dart his eyes to her and smile. Only a few moments passed before he firmly shook hands with the man and walked in her direction. She watched the blonde twins' expressions changed as he approached her, and she almost laughed at their eyes stretch when he grabbed her hand.

"How'd it go?" She asked him, noting that he couldn't stop smiling.

"He seemed to really like me-I think I'm actually gonna get it, oh my God." Sam went on excictedly and she laughed as they walked towards the exit. He explained what his job description would entail-basically making coffee and filing paperwork but he was clearly still ecstatic. As they finally reached the exit, a short man in glasses and a horribly beige suit smiled as he noticed Sam.

"Mr. Evans." he greeted. "Here for the fair?" He asked and Sam nodded.

"Yes sir, I was. I spoke with one of the largest firms here and they seem pretty interested so hopefully I get it." He replied. Mercedes smiled at Sam's respectful tone.

"I'm sure you will. You're the smartest in my class, I'm not joking, kid." The man said through a deep chuckle and Sam grinned as he looked down at Mercedes.

"Oh, Professor Getz, this is my girlfriend Mercedes." He introduced and the man smiled as he reached his hand out to her. But she had almost frozen at the word girlfriend. She looked up at Sam for a moment before she looked at the the professor extended her hand him.

"Nice to meet you," he said to her. "Your boyfriend's a Macroeconomics genius. My favorite student but don't tell anyone," he quipped and Mercedes laughed. "Nice meeting you again," he said as he moved to walk away.

"Nice meeting you, too." Mercedes replied as he left. She felt Sam squeeze her hand as he pulled her along and they exited the building. She was still shocked by his choice of words. It was the first time that they'd actually been labeled as a couple. He didn't say a word more about it, it almost seemed natural to him while she was still taken aback. But as they walked to his car, hand in hand, a smile pulling at her lips, she couldn't deny that she liked it. She really, really liked it.

SAM'S POV

On the ride home, Mercedes told him about the huge internship opportunity she had with Zest. It made him smile to see her so excited but he couldn't deny that he was slightly concerned about the time this would take from them hanging out together.

"Guess I won't be seeing much of you then." he said and he saw her shrug in her peripheral vision.

"You're gonna be busy, too." She replied. "Making coffee can be hard work," she joked and his mouth fell open as he laughed sarcastically.

"Real funny," he said. "Making coffee is hard work and it's also very important for your information." He told her and she chuckled as he jokingly frowned. "I'm not gonna be busy at all," he said quietly and shook her head, leaning over to peck him on the cheek.

"Yes you are." she chuckled out. "You're gonna be really busy and they're all gonna love you and probably give you a lot more responsibility in no time." She encouraged.

"What-like making the CEO's coffee?" He replied as he laughed.

"Exactly," she giggled out.

It was only eleven when they got to her apartment. They dressed quickly in old clothes and Mercedes tied her hair up so they could paint. Alicia was going to be staying at the dorms that night so they weren't inconveniencing anyone when they moved her dresser, her vanity, and both of her nightstands into the living room. Afterwards they moved her bed into the center of the room. Sam covered it and the carpet with tarp as Mercedes mixed the paint. She turned on her "Dance" playlist on her mp3 player and then they got to work. Sam painted the wall opposite of her but he couldn't help glancing back to watch her dance to the music as she worked. It was the cutest thing to see her standing on her tip toes to paint. She couldn't reach any further than a about ten inches higher than half of the wall. When he offered to help, she declined and when he'd tried to do it anyway, she threatened to splash him with paint so he'd willingly backed away. He was curious when she left the room for a moment but when she came back, in ridiculously, tall hideously orange wedge heels, he burst into laughter.

"Mercedes-what," he paused as he laughed again. "-what are you doing?" he asked as she picked up her paint roller and went back to painting her wall.

"Improvising," she replied.

"Or I could just help y-,"

"No," she interrupted, never turning to look at him. And he could only chuckle as he shook his head and turned back to his work.

"You are somethin'," He muttered.

The civil painting lasted longer than Sam had expected it to. Hours had passed as they talked, laughed, danced and work. By the time the first splash of paint was thrown, all that was left to paint were the highest edges. The first splash left Mercedes' paintbrush by "accident", she claimed, but Sam wasn't hearing it. He returned fire and then a war began. They went back and forth, with her bending low beside the bed to hide when he aimed for her. But he caught her each time she stood all the way up. The game came to a halt when he fired too fast and the paint splattered onto her hair instead of her shirt. Her mouth was wide open as she stood slowly, her hands patting where the paint had landed.

"Oh my God," she said and he fought to restrain his laughter. Oh my God," she repeated again as she looked at the paint on her hands that had come from her hair. That was when he burst shamelessly into laughter.

"I'm sorry," he laughed out as he moved towards her, his hands throw up in surrender.

"Sam!" She yelled and he folded his lips in to contain himself. "Stop laughing!" She shouted as even her voice cracked and a giggle escape.

"I'm sorry," he said again as he pulled her into him, hugging her as he laughed and she giggled as she tried to push away from him.

"You're gonna regret all of this when you're washing my hair tonight," she told him and he stopped laughing abruptly.

"What? No, I'm sorry," he said as he let her go. She laughed as she shook her head.

"Too late for that." She replied, walking away from him. The first time Sam had washed her hair in the shower it was because he'd offered to. She warned him that he would regret it and he did because it felt like it took forever. Her hair was so thick and beautiful but when it came to washing it, it was like washing fabric.

"Where are you going?" He asked as she exited the room.

"To wash some of this stuff out and order some pizza. I'm starving,"

He stood on her desk chair and painted all the high edges around the room as he waited for her and the pizza. By the time it arrived it was almost seven at night, he was done with the edges and her room was officially complete. They sat next to each other on the tarp covered floor of her room as they ate. Mercedes' eyes darted around the room as she smiled and chewed.

"I love it," she said. "It's perfect."

"Yeah, we should just leave it like this," he joked, playing with piece of the tarp on the floor and she nudged him playfully on the shoulder.

"I'm so tired," she breathed just as her phone beeped on her vanity in the living room. She jumped up and got it and he heard her sigh as she walked back into the room, her eyes on the phone screen.

"What is it?" He asked.

"My mom just texted me . She says their gonna have the dinner thing tomorrow since they couldn't do it last Saturday. It's so short notice, I know you probably can't go," She said and he nodded as he took a bite of his pizza.

"It's my mom's birthday this weekend, remember? I'm supposed to go home." He reminded her and her eyes widened for a moment.

"Shit, that was this weekend? I thought it was next weekend," she said and he shook his head.

"Nope. It's this Sunday." He told her and she sighed.

"So you're leaving like, tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow morning. And I'd come back Monday. If I go." He added.

"Why wouldn't you?" She asked and he shrugged. The truth was, he was enjoying not being home, not having to be around all the people from home. He was enjoying being able to finally be a Sam that he liked for once. But he didn't know if he was ready to admit all of those things to her.

"I just don't really like it back home. Plus the flight's like four hours." he complained.

"You already bought the plane ticket and you're trying to bail out? Sam, are you rich?" She suddenly asked him and he chuckled.

"My parents might be," he replied and she shook her head.

"You're rich." she said and he laughed. "So why don't you like it at home?" she asked him. And he sighed, thinking of all the reasons why he didn't and all the reasons why he probably shouldn't tell her. But then he remembered all the things she'd told him, all the things she'd revealed to him. She'd trusted him with her past and he figured he should probably do the same. He sighed before he began.

"When I was maybe 11 years old, I got bullied a lot in middle school." he said and she frowned instantly. "Kids would pick on my lips, my hair 'cause it was really shabby back then. And my little sister. She's got cerebral palsy." he revealed and her eyes widened.

"You never told me your little sister had that," she noted and he shrugged.

"It never came up." He sighed. "Anyway, one day I just got sick of it and in the lunchroom I attacked the kid who was always kind of starting everything up. It was like I blacked out and when I came back, I was beating the kids head against the floor." he told her and she grimaced. "I could've gotten arrested if my dad had paid off the kids parents and agreed to pay their hospital bills for him." he said. "I had to go to anger management and group therapy after that for a while. Well the anger management was until I graduated high school, really."

"I got into more fights outside of school, too though. Sometimes I got my ass kicked pretty badly and my mom would just cry when I got home." he went on. "After the first fight though, it wasn't about anger anymore. I did it mostly because my friends and everyone I knew expected it from me. It became apart of me and they liked me for it. Or feared me for it, whatever. At the time it didn't feel any different."

"In high school I wasn't fighting anymore but people still expected this badass, angry, violent guy out of me. But when I got towards, maybe, the end of my junior year, I didn't wanna do it anymore. I was-," he paused as he searched for a word. "I was fucking tired to be honest." He admitted. "Tired of pretending. The only place I felt myself was at home. But the people I hung out with just wouldn't let me stop being that person. Even when I went to college for my first semester, a lot of them went to the same local university as me and whenever they introduced me to any of their new friends, they'd say something like 'oh, this is Sam, he's a fucking riot so don't mess with him'. Most of the time they were joking but I still just didn't like it. That's why I came here. To start over." He finished. Mercedes' face was surprised and understanding at the same time. She was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke.

"So, do you have anger management issues?" She asked. "I just-I remember at the wedding when you were talking to Devon. You kinda looked like you wanted to snap his neck," she said, chuckling towards the end.

"I was mad then. And if I'm being honest, I did wanna him him. Which is why I would've gotten the hell out of there whether you'd asked me to or not." He admitted and she nodded.

"Do you get angry like that a lot?" She asked him and he shook his head quickly.

"Pretty much never. But when I do, it's bad." He told her.

"So you're scared you're going to get angry at home and hurt someone?" She questioned and he shrugged.

"I just know that at some point I'm going to hang out with my old friends. And I guess I'm just worried that I'll fall back into that person again. And then if someone does piss me off, it might be easier for me to fight if I have everyone around me encouraging me to, you know?" He explained and she nodded. She became quiet and her silence was making him a little nervous. That anxiousness was quickly replaced by warmth when he felt her hand rest of his lap.

"Sam," she finally spoke. "The person that I know you to be is funny and generous and sweet. And maybe I haven't know you long enough to say this but I know that's who you really are." She said and he nodded as a small smile pulled at his lips. "I just think, if you go there and be yourself, everyone will still like you. Things might be different but still. They'll probably just think you changed when you came here or something." She shrugged. "The point is, you're a great person, Sam. One of the best I know. And I think you should go home and show everyone that. Who you really are." She encouraged and he listened, smiling as he threw his arm over her shoulder.

"You'll probably miss me though," he said she chuckled.

"I'll live," she replied as she looked up at him, her hand reaching up to intertwine with his as it hung off of her shoulder. He grinned as he looked down at her. He closed the distance between them, kissing her softly on the lips before he suddenly jumped up and ran towards her bathroom.

"I'm not washing your hair!" He shouted as he entered the bathroom, with her hot on his tracks, reaching the back of the door before he could close it as she yelled,

"Yes you are!"

And in the end, he did. Much to his surprise, he'd gotten it done faster than the first time. After they showered, they lay comfortably on the couch where a make out session quickly turned into him lifting her pajama dress just above her bare breast and throwing her leg over his shoulder, filling her over and over until they came together. Afterwards, he put his boxers and shirt back on and she pulled her dress down. There was no telling what time Alicia would come home the next day. Mercedes laid with her leg thrown over his and her head resting on his chest as they watched TV and attempted to fall asleep.

"I will miss you," she admitted suddenly and he smiled.

"Figures," he replied cockily and she giggled as she playfully punched his chest. Laughing, he bent to kiss the top of her head. "I'll miss you, too." He told her.

She fell asleep before him. He stayed up a little while longer as he thought about how his trip home would be. Her words had meant a lot to him and he planned to use them over the weekend to keep him confident in himself. He smiled as he looked down at her, sleeping peacefully and quietly. It was obvious to him then as he looked at her and mentally replayed the last month they'd known each other. He knew.

He absolutely loved her.

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave any comments below! Next up, we meet the Evans! **


	15. Chapter 11: Tennessee

SAM'S POV

He woke up in the morning so early that the sun hadn't risen. He kissed Mercedes to wake her and she groaned as she did. Then she wrapped herself tightly around him, sleepily murmuring something about him staying and he laughed. She moved over a bit so that he could get up from under her and he stood, looking down at her beautiful face. She smiled back as she fought to keep her eyes open. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently against hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down by the nape of his hair before he could pull away, opening and deepening the kiss. She grinned when she finally let him go, her eyes barely open. He chuckled looking down at her as she fell quickly to sleep again-she had to be the deepest sleeper he knew. He stood up straight and went to put on his slacks from the day before and his shoes, grabbing the rest of his clothes from her closet before he returned to the living room. She was out like a light, her legs and arms wrapped around one of the long couch pillows-the way she wrapped around him. He had the strongest of urges to move the pillow and take its place but he knew he shouldn't. He started to tell her that Devon could help her bring her dresser and things back into her bedroom but there was no use-she wouldn't remember when she woke up. So he decided he would just let Devon know. He heard her mumble a quiet "come back safe" as he opened the door and he smiled as he left.

* * *

He had already packed earlier in the week just in case he went through with going so when he got to his dorm, he simply grabbed his bag and tapped softly on Devon's door to wake him up-he'd agreed to take him to the airport months ago. On the ride there, they talked about Alicia and the upcoming baby. Devon seemed really excited which surprised Devon being in an exclusive relationship in the first place was surprising to him. He'd already been in the process of changing before the pregnancy came along and Sam was honestly happy to see it.

"Think my kid's gonna be cute?" Devon asked as they neared the airport.

"I think it's a good thing Alicia's pretty," Sam quipped and Devon laughed sarcastically.

"You ain't shit anyway," He replied and Sam chuckled.

"Oh come on, bro, you know if I was gay you'd be the first guy I let-,"

"_Don't_," Devon interrupted as he came to a stop in front of Sam's airport entrance. Laughing, Sam got out and grabbed his bag from the backseat. He leaned into the window, offering Devon his hand and they did a quick handshake.

"Your kid's gonna be adorable, man." He said. "Just hope it doesn't have your big ass head," he joked as he walked away. He could hear Devon laughing behind him.

"Safe flight, asshole!" He called after him and Sam smiled.

By the time he got through to where his gate was, there was almost an hour until his flight was scheduled to leave so he went to grab breakfast at a restaurant inside. Afterwards, he sat at his flight gate, listening to music and people watching. He saw a young couple with a son who wouldn't stop running in circles until he eventually dizzily fell onto his butt crying and the young father got up and picked him up, laughing and comforting him at the same time. Sam chuckled as he imagined Devon doing that sort of thing. It'd be a sight to see for sure.

He sent a text to his mom as he got in line to board the plane, letting her know he'd be there soon. She replied quickly with a smiley face and the words "can't wait" and Sam grinned. He knew she'd be awake-she was an early riser like him. He really did miss his mom. He was concerned about what would happen this weekend but he was also excited to see her and celebrate with her. But more than anything, he wanted to see his sister. As kids, he and his sister Sarah were close. She was only a year and a half younger than her but due to her moderate cerebral palsy, at school he took care of her when she needed it. It wasn't until after incident when Sam had fought the kid in the lunchroom for making fun of her that their parents decided to move her to a private school. They remained close after that but things were slightly different. Just like the rest of his family, she didn't like that he continued to fight a lot. She liked his friends even less for encouraging it. And even after he stopped fighting, she still expressed her annoyance for him hanging out with the people he hung out with. She always told him he should leave and now that he finally had, he was glad he'd listened to her.

His mom was waiting when he walked out of the airport. Her blonde hair was shorter, but other than that, nothing had changed. She was petite with light eyes and clear skin, her features feminine yet strong She smiled when she saw him coming and when he reached her, he hugged her tight, lifting her and rocking her. When she pulled back she placed her hands on either side of his face and looked at him.

"My word, you look like a wolf," she said and he smiled at the familiarity of her strong southern accent, realizing then that his was starting to dull.

"It's a beard, ma. And it's not even long. At all." He replied.

"No girl's gone want you to kiss'er like that, you'll cut'er." She told him as she let him go and popped the trunk. He laughed, thinking of Mercedes.

"I missed you, too, ma." He said deadpan as he dropped his bag in the trunk and closed it.

"Oh now you know I missed you, sugar plum. But imma put a razor to that mug of yours by the end of this weekend," she promised him, pinching his cheek before she walked around to get back in the car. "Come on, Wolverine, gotta get back before your sister wakes up." She said and he chuckled as he got into the car next to her. He shook his head as he buckled his seat belt, muttering to himself,

"Home, sweet home."

On the way to his house, his mom blasted country music and he was surprised to find that he actually wasn't used to it anymore. He'd never liked it much but now he was flat out irritated. She sang happily along as he cringed. He reached up to change the station but was met with a quick and sharp slap to his hand that he so painfully remembered.

"I'll chop it off," his mother threatened, never looking at her. He glared playfully at her as he rubbed his hand.

Memories, good and bad, flooded into Sam's brain as he entered the foyer of his home. It wasn't obnoxiously large but it was bigger than most. The inside was nicely but casually decorated-nothing too flashy or extravagant. It was an understated beautiful.

"Still smells like fried chicken in here," Sam noted.

"Really? I haven't fried chicken in weeks," She replied behind him.

"You gone fry some today, mama." He said as he walked up the stairs.

"Excuse me-it is _my _birthday weekend, is it not?" She called after him.

"I'll cook for you tomorrow," he called back down to her just before he reached the top of the stairs. His room still looked the same. His walls were painted dark blue and covered in posters of his favorite teams, a few bands, but mostly his art. He placed his bag down on the floor and looked around. There were so many memories in that room. He remembered sneaking out with his friends at night, he remembered the first and last time he ever tried weed with a friend who wouldn't be his friend anymore after he told him he wasn't into pot. He remembered his _first time_ with Amanda Ferguson. He'd been sixteen and he barely even knew her-she was new at the school and wanted to sleep with him so she could brag about it. He didn't really care-he'd just wanted to get laid.

He also remembered waking up on the weekdays for school and not wanting to leave that room; not wanting to face the world because the world refused to face him as anyone else besides the person it expected him to be. He remembered wanting to dig a hole inside of his room somewhere and live in it. Remembering all those things put a smile on his face because he also knew that it was no longer his situation-that he was free and that he had Mercedes.

He heard his sister's music playing softly in her room across from his-she always slept with music on. He walked across the hall and cracked her door open, peeking in to see her sleeping peacefully in her bed. His sister was beautiful. Her hair was curly and blonde, her eyes large and blue, and her lips full and shaped much like his. She was smart, funny, sweet, and absolutely beautiful. One of Sam's biggest fears was that no one would ever notice though because they wouldn't see her past the braces she had to walk with. He entered her room and lay down next to her quietly before loudly speaking,

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME IT'S TWELVE IN THE AFTERNOON AND YOU'RE _STILL _NOT AWAKE?"

She flinched as soon as he began to speak and turned to look at him, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

"Sammy!" She yelled and he laughed as he pulled her over to him and hugged her softly. "You're still rude as hell but I missed ya," She breathed into him and he smiled.

"I missed you, too Tiny," He replied as he let her go. "Come on, time to get up. You got three days to get all in my business like you always do," he told her as he sat up and stood from her bed.

"Give me my braces," she told him, gesturing softly to them leaning on the wall. He looked at them and then back at her and smiled mischievously.

"Nah," he said before suddenly leaning down to scoop her up. She laughed as he cradled her, carrying her out of her room and down the stairs.

"I didn't even get to brush my teeth," she complained as he carried her and he smirked.

"Like you ever do," he joked. She laughed after she blew her morning breath on him and he curled up his nose, chuckling. He'd really missed his sister.

He sat on a bar stool at the counter after he pulled up a cushioned chair for her next to him and they watched their mother cook as they talked. They asked him about school and how everything was going at EU and before he knew it, he spilled it all out. The internship, Devon and Alicia and their unborn baby, and Mercedes.

"You mean someone actually wants to kiss you with that animal on your face?" Sarah asked.

"That's what I said!" His mother laughed and Sam rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

"Guys it's not even long," he said and they only laughed at his frustration.

"She smart?" His mom asked as she dropped a few pieces of floured chicken into the fryer.

"Yes,"

"Funny?" Sarah questioned.

"Very," Sam replied.

"Good," His mother said. Sam smiled. That had always been the only thing that mattered to her. She'd always told him, _"Marry a girl who's smart and who makes you laugh, alright? Beauty fades."_

"Dad still sleeping at the office?" he asked.

"He'll be here tonight," his mother told him. "Man's not gonna stop 'til he has a stroke." It wasn't uncommon for his father to work all day at his law firm, even on a Saturday. Sam had just thought that maybe he would want to be there when his son came home. But even he knew it was wishful thinking.

"I've got a boyfriend," Sarah suddenly said as the three of them sat at the table just after they'd finished praying over their chicken. Sam's eyes bugged open.

"What?" He almost exclaimed.

"Not really a _boyfriend_. But a crush. He's a boy from school. I think he likes me, too. He carries my books and things." she told him. That was nice and all, but Sam was still flabbergasted as he turned to his mom.

"Mama, you know about this?" he asked her just before he took a bite of his chicken.

"'Course I do. I've met him, he's a nice young man." she said.

"He's been over here and everything," Sarah added and Sam sat up uncomfortably straight in his chair.

"_Everything?" _he choked out.

"What-Sam-_no_," his sister replied and his mother reached over and slapped his shoulder as she laughed. "He's just been over to help with my homework and we also had a project together. He _volunteered _to be my partner." She said, her cheeks lifting as she smiled widely. Sam tried not to cringe at the idea of his sister _being _with a guy. He wanted her to have love and to be happy with someone but he also feared that she would be taken advantage of. She glowed when she talked about this boy, and he just wondered if he did the same when he spoke about her.

"What's his name?" Sam asked her.

"Alex,"

"Alex what?" he questioned.

"_Sam,_" His mother warned.

"I just wanna know his last name," he defended and his mom sighed.

"It's Cooper," Sarah told him. "You don't know him, he's not from here."

"Hmm," Sam breathe and Sarah sighed. His mother changed the subject and instead they talked about the last Christmas they'd spent together when Sam's uncle had gotten so high, he ate almost all of the roasted chicken before the party even started. They laughed and reminisced as they ate and afterwards they decided to get in the pool in their backyard.

Sarah floated on an orange pool air mattress around them as he and his mom passed a volleyball around in the water. The rule was that if the ball hit Sarah, the person who threw it had to swim back and forth across the pool. It wasn't long before a splash fight broke out though and they all laughed as they splashed each other. The phone rang in the house in the middle of their war and their mother got out of the pool to get it. Sam swam over to the side of his sisters float and leaned softly on it. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her and Alex. He just wanted to know if the guy liked her like she seemed to like him. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt. He needed to meet him.

"Why don't you invite Alex over for mom's birthday dinner tomorrow?" he suggested. She smiled as she looked at him.

"Maybe I will." she said. "Why?" she asked and Sam shrugged.

"I wanna meet him. Feel him out."

"You're gonna try to scare him, Sam."

"No, I won't, I promise. I just wanna make sure you guys are-on the same page," he told her and she almost scoffed.

"What? Is it not possible for a guy to like me, Sa-,"

"Come on, Sarah," he interrupted her. "You know I would _never _think that," he said and she sighed.

"I know."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," he admitted and she smiled as she lifted his hand from her float and held it.

"You can't protect me from everything, Sammy." she told him and he nodded.

"I know," he said. "But I can try."

"_Don't_," she replied. "You're just gonna exhaust yourself."

"I'll be exhausted but at least you won't be heartbroken or worse," he retorted as he shrugged. "You're my little sister."

"I'm eighteen, Sam."

"_Still_," he said. "I can't just _let _things happen to you, Tiny. Not if I can stop it."

"When are you gonna stop calling me that?" She groaned and he laughed.

"Not ever," he said and she smiled.

"I'll invite him," she told him. "Because I _want _you to meet him. Not because I think I need protecting." She added. Sam nodded.

"Whatever it takes,"

The sun had fallen as they watched TV together on the couch. Sam's phone rang on the dining room table and he rushed to it, thinking it was Mercedes. But the number was unrecognizable.

"Hello?" He spoke cautiously.

"Sam-fucking-Evans!" He heard the familiar voice say. He didn't know whether to smile or hang up when he realized who it was.

"Kyle Duffey," he said and the voice on the other end of the line laughed. He could see his sister roll her eyes at the mention of the name. Kyle was his "best friend" in middle school and high school. The one who-more than anything-treated him like he was a murderer in the making.

"I heard you were in town but I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. You gotta come out with me tonight-you fucking have to." He said and a small bubble of panic formed in his stomach. But he could suddenly hear Mercedes' voice in his head, encouraging him to be himself. He cleared his throat and nodded.

"Uh-yeah, sure. What time?" He asked.

"_Right now_, guy." Kyle chuckled. "Get dressed, I'll be there in ten." And then he hung up. Sam sighed. He turned to look at his mother and sister on the couch. His mother smiled at him while his sister glared and Sam sighed again.

"Put those daggers away, Tiny, I love you." He said and she scoffed. "I'll be back later," he told them as he headed for the stairs.

"Have fun!" his mother called after him and he could hear his sister whisper something quickly followed by their mother saying something about them being grown men now and being able to make "better decisions". He only hoped that was true. He was worried. He didn't know how to act around Kyle-he didn't know how to not to be _Nashville Sam _around him.

He dressed quickly in a casual green v-neck and jeans, finishing just in time to hear the sound of Kyle's truck horn downstairs.

"Later, guys!" He shouted back to his family as he exited the door. Kyle still had the same old red pick up truck that he'd had since high school. It held many memories for Sam as well. It held memories he didn't particularly want-as most things in Nashville did.

"Son of a bitch-look at you!" Kyle shouted as Sam slipped inside the offered him his hand and he took it, bringing him in for a quick "bro-hug".

"Kyle, what's up, man?" He greeted.

"There's this new bar on 56th-my uncle's bar. We can get in, bro, no fake ID's necessary." He said and Sam nodded, trying to be excited.

"Let's do it,"

The bar was filled with people that Sam knew from high school-just as he had been afraid it would be. They surrounded him, all of them seemingly desperate to reminisce about the old days-days that he didn't want to talk about. When he didn't respond the way they'd expected him to, they shut down a bit, throwing beers his way and insisting he needed to loosen up-that moving had made him uptight. He refused to drink though. The last thing he needed to be around them was intoxicated. He tried his best, instead, to stay vague yet loose and friendly. He didn't want them to think that he didn't want to be around them-even though that was partially true. But he figured he was there now and he needed to at least make them believe he wanted to be. He talked to a lot of his old classmates, exchanging information about college plans and experiences. He played beer pong-but insisted that they give him root beer instead because he was "still getting over a hangover". He even participated in a dance competition on the stage where he made it to the finals but lost to the guy who he distinctly remembered gave out "lap dance grams" on Valentine's Day every year in high school. Afterwards as he was playing darts with Kyle, a guy that Kyle apparently knew approached them.

"Ethan! How's it going, bro? This is Sam," he introduced. "This guy used to kick major ass when we were younger. You don't wanna mess with this one," He added and Sam's nostrils flared in annoyance as he extended his hand to Ethan.

"I'm not really that guy anymore," he said as he shook Ethan's hand and Kyle laughed obnoxiously loud.

"Like hell you aren't-you probably couldn't help it if you tried." he replied. "Don't listen to him, he's kind of a nutjob." He said to Ethan. Sam scoffed.

"I'm not crazy," he told Kyle quietly but he only laughed again.

"Bro, it's okay, you're-,"

"No, listen, I'm not _fucking _crazy." Sam almost growled, standing face to face with Kyle. He could feel his skin starting to itch with anger. A silence fell between the little space between them before Kyle burst into laughter once more. Ethan joined in moments later and Sam inhaled slowly, trying to calm down as he began to fake a laugh.

"Nice one," Kyle said and Sam chuckled weakly as they went back to playing darts.

"So what's it like up there at Easton?"

"It's cool. It's a lot different. I like it."

"Yeah, yeah." Kyle said, as if he was bored. "What's the _tail _like?" He asked and Sam only shook his head, aiming the dart and then throwing.

"I wouldn't know," he replied and Kyle froze next to him.

"You mean you haven't _explor_-okay I have to hook you up-_Brandy_!" He called and Sam shook his head quickly at him as a busty girl with short brown hair approached them-as if she'd been waiting for her name to be called.

"No, no, bro, I have a girlfriend." He tried to explain, but Brandy had already made it to them.

"You have a girlfriend?" She asked as she pouted. "That's too bad," she said as she rested her hand on his chest just before she leaned into him, her mouth too close to his ear as she whispered, "We could've had fun,"

"Okay," Sam replied uncomfortably as he stepped away from her. "Well I do have a girlfriend." He told her, his voice a bit more venomous than he'd intended. He felt his "friend" looking at him in disbelief. As if he was shocked. He was suddenly annoyed by being there in general. He was quickly realizing that there was just no way of convincing these people of who he really was. "I think I'm gonna go." He said and she curled her nose up at him as she stormed off.

"Where're you going?" Kyle asked as Sam moved to walk away.

"I'm going home," he told him.

"Why?"

"Because this whole thing just isn't for me," he said and Kyle's eyebrows furrowed. "Nice seeing you, man." Sam lied as he walked away. He was halfway out of the bar, with nothing but his annoyance behind him, when he was suddenly approached by a guy a few inches taller, and a few pounds heavier, who he didn't recognize. The guy stood quietly in his way, a seemingly permanent scowl on his face.

"Excuse me," Sam said as politely as his quickly rising attitude would let him.

"You put your hands on my cousin?" The walking scowl asked and Sam's neck snapped back.

"What?"

"Did _you-,_" Sam froze when the guy's large finger pushed accusingly into his chest, "-put your filthy fucking hands on my cousin?" He question, turning then to gesture to a girl who Sam quickly recognized-Brandy. Sam's eyes narrowed.

"What-no!" He replied defensively.

"That's not what she said. You calling her a liar?" He asked. And Sam shrugged.

"I'm not _calling _her anything. But she's not telling the truth, I didn't touch her-excuse me," Sam said, attempting to move around the guy again. But before he could take a step, he was shoved down to the ground. He inhaled deeply and slowly as he moved to stand, his blood quickly starting to boil. The room was starting to crowd around them and Sam couldn't believe this was happening. His skin was itchy with anger and his heart was suddenly beating rapidly. It all felt too painfully familiar. He tried once more to move past him but this time, the guy took a swing for Sam's face-and he didn't miss.

And then, it was like Sam just _blacked out._

MERCEDES' POV

It was three in the morning when her cell phone rang. She'd decided to stay at her mom's house for the weekend after dinner instead of driving home. She woke quickly to silence her phone to keep from waking her mom in the room next to her. She smiled when she Sam's name on her caller ID.

"Hey you," she greeted sweetly. But her heart stopped when she heard his breathy, strained voice come through the phone.

"Mercedes," he breathed urgently before she heard him mumbling almost to himself, "I had to get out of there. I had to get out of there, I had to-,"

"Sam," she called. "Sam, what happened?" She asked him, her heart beating a mile a minute. He sounded like he was in pain.

"I went out with stupid Kyle and then this guy just-he just came at me. He started saying something about me hitting some girl-his cousin. And I told him I didn't hit her because I fucking didn't but he just came at me anyway. I didn't know what to do," he went on. Now she was afraid. Sam had only been a kid when he'd beaten a kid so badly he'd had to be hospitalized. She couldn't imagine what he was capable as an adult-what he might've done. She cringed at the thought of it.

"Oh, no, Sam. You didn't-,"

"No," he interrupted her. "I didn't hit him," he said and she felt her whole body relax. "I didn't hit him, I just left. He punched me in the face and I just left." He told her and she shook her head.

"Oh, God, Sam are you okay?" She asked him and he was quiet for a moment too long for her nerves to take. "Sam," she called.

"It's nothing a little ice won't fix." He told her and she smiled weakly.

"Where are you now?" She asked him, moving to sit down on her bed again.

"I'm walking home," he said and she sighed.

"So you didn't hit him back?"

"I fucking wanted to," he replied honestly.

"God, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have encouraged you to go back."

"Mercedes are you kidding me?" He retorted. "Ask me why I didn't hit him." He said and she breathed.

"Why didn't you hit him?" She asked him.

"Because of you." He replied quickly. "Do you know how ashamed of myself I would've been to come back there knowing I'd fallen back into that after everything we talked about?" He sighed. "When I was a kid and I started fighting, knowing what I was doing to myself and my family wasn't enough to stop me. Tonight when he hit me, the first person that came to mind was you. I thought about you and the person being with you has allowed me to be. And I couldn't go back." He said. She sighed as she listened. The word _dependence _quickly floating back into her mind.

"Sa-Sam, maybe it's not such a good thing that _I_ was the reason you didn-"

"Why are you so afraid of me needing you?" He interrupted and her head dropped as she sat at the edge of her old bed. The answer wasn't complicated.

"Partly because I'm afraid I'm gonna need you more," She admitted.

"We need each other." He replied and she groaned quietly.

"But what happens when we-,"

"When we what? Break up?"

"I mean," she paused and shrugged. "Yeah,"

"I wish you wouldn't just _claim _it." He said and she sighed. But it was almost like she couldn't help it. She didn't know how to be positive about a long-term relationship again just yet. Her parents' relationship had failed and she still held onto hope. But then her own relationship was shattered from infidelity. _Forever _love might be real but she didn't know if she believed that it was meant for her. They were both quiet for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking, what his facial expression might have been saying at that moment. Her heart fell into her stomach when he finally broke the silence."Mercedes, I love you." He said. Her eyes widened, her hand clutched her phone tightly. "I didn't wanna have to tell you over the phone for the first time but, I do. I love you. I believe that we met for a reason and that everything that happened was meant to happen." He continued. "I _love _you, Mercedes. And I don't mind needing you." He told her. Her heart swelled at his words, but she couldn't form any of her own. She felt like she loved him, she really did. But saying it was scary. Saying it meant that she could never take it back-it meant that if he ever cheated on her or left her, he'd get to take her words with him and leave her with nothing. She couldn't do it, not yet.

"Sam I just-,"

"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to say it." He told her. "In a way you kind of already have."

Mercedes eyebrows furrowed.

"I have?" She asked.

"Remember when you told me to come back safe?" He questioned. "I heard it then. And I feel it when you squeeze me to death while you sleep." He said and she laughed. "I didn't say it to hear you say it back. I just wanted you to know." He told her and she could hear the smile in his voice. "My mom's gonna freak out," he said.

"She'll understand," Mercedes told him and he was quiet for the moment. She could tell he didn't believe her.

"Stay on the phone until I get home?" He asked her and she smiled, moving to get under her comforter again as she replied quietly,

"Okay,"


	16. Chapter 11: Tennessee II

SAM'S POV

When he'd gotten back to his parent's house that night, his family had been asleep. He'd seen his father's car outside on the way in so he knew he'd see him the next morning. He didn't regret going out with Kyle. He just knew now, more than ever, that he didn't belong there with them. He appreciated meeting Mercedes, Devon, and Alicia that much more because of that experience. The one thing he did wish he could take back from the night was the quickly forming dark purple shading around his left eye. He knew that it was the last thing his mother would want to see on her birthday. He also knew that, reasonably so, she would never believe him when he told her he hadn't fought back. He didn't even want to think about what Sarah would say.

Mercedes had fallen asleep a couple minutes before he reached his house but he didn't hang up. Instead, he'd stripped down to his boxers, put the phone on speaker, crawled into bed and placed it down next to him and drifted off into sleep to the sound of her steady breathing and soft snores-as if she was there next to him.

* * *

Sam woke up at around twelve in the afternoon. Ever since he'd met Mercedes, he'd started to sleep in more. He guessed it was because he'd started to sleep more peacefully. He'd unrealistically hoped that somehow his eye would've magically healed by the next morning. Bu as he looked in the mirror of his old bathroom, he could've sworn it had actually gotten worse. He sighed as he bent to wash his face in the sink. After he brushed his teeth, he returned to his room and pulled on a white t-shirt. Picking up his phone, he found a text from Mercedes from much earlier that morning;

_You woke me up with your snoring. Rude. Got an early charity thing with AKA today. Good luck with your mom. :-*_

He smiled as he quickly replied with,

_I don't snore. Have fun._

And just as he pressed the send button, there was a soft knock at the door followed by the sound of his door opening, and his mother stood before it. The smile on her face quickly disappeared when her gaze fell onto his eye.

"Sam," she breathed, her face filled with not only horror, but disappointment.

"No, mom, I didn'-," he began but he was cut short by the swift slamming of his door and the sound of his mother stomping away. He tossed his phone onto his bed as he swore under his breath. He'd planned to approach her gently so that he had a chance at explaining before she freaked out but now it was too late. He stepped quickly into his pair of dark sweatpants and rushed after, but as soon as he reached the bottom of the steps, he rounded the corner to go through the foyer to the living room, and ran almost violently into his father's chest.

Samuel Evans the first was 6'5 and with a naturally athletic build. His hair was blonde just as the rest of theirs, his eyes a dark green beneath his black rimmed glasses, and his lips full-much like his children's.

"Did you win?" His father asked, his expression straight. His southern accent almost non-existent. He'd spent a large amount of time living in Washington in the beginning of his career, before he and Sam's mother had gotten married.

"Hey dad," Sam said as he attempted to look around him for his mom.

"_Did you?_" He asked again, moving to stand in Sam's way.

"No, dad, I didn't fight." He told him. "This is just one gigantic misunderstanding."

"Sam I'm looking at a your face. You have a black eye and you want me to believe you weren't in a fight?" His father replied incredulously.

'_Yes_," Sam retorted quickly.

"Sam-"

"The guy hit _me, _dad. I didn't even know him, he just hit me. I didn't hit him back though. I didn't, I just left." Sam explained. "I swear," he continued as he watched his father's eyes narrow at him. "I need to talk to mo-,"

"Your mom and Sarah are pulling out of the driveway right now," he told him, before walking back towards his office.

"Where'd they go?" Sam asked, following behind him.

"On a spa day thing," his father replied briefly as he sat down behind his desk and returned to whatever work he had brought home. From the outside looking in, one would think Sam had never left-like he'd been there all this time and today was just another day. His father showed no indication of being happy to see him and Sam was suddenly irritated, but more than anything _hurt._

"Dad I haven't been home in months and this is what you-did I do something wrong?" he stammered, trailing off when he saw a framed picture on the wall of him as a kid in little league baseball on his father's shoulders with a trophy in his hand.

"Sam, I have known your mom since I was fourteen years old." His father began. He turned to meet his gaze. "She's the strongest woman I know. She's been through a lot, suffered a lot with her mom dying when she was young. But nothing has _ever _hurt her more than seeing you come home this way." He told him and Sam's heart shattered immediately. "Nothing has ever scared her more." He continued and Sam sighed. He hadn't even fought last night.

"Dad I didn't-,"

"Stop," his father interrupted. "You need to hear this." He said, as he stood and signaled to the leather couch next to the bookshelf. Sam sighed again as he sat down, his father following behind him. "All the things you did when you were here really wounded her. You could see that. You would see her crying and upset. But you didn't have to try to keep her inside her skin when she woke up from a nightmare about you being beaten to death." He went on. Sam's head dropped. "Nightmares about her finding you bruised and dead on the sidewalk. She was terrified, Sam. And when you left she was still terrified but she had so much hope that maybe you would start over. She was so confident that when you got back here, you wouldn't be the same and-,"

"Dad I'm _not _the same. I didn't fight," Sam said through gritted teeth.

"I believe you," he replied quickly. "I just thought you should know bad this looks to her. She's crushed." He told him. Sam sighed as he buried his head in his hands. He'd always known that it hurt her to see him be the person he was before but he'd never known the depth of her fear and pain. It was worse than he'd thought.

"I need to talk to her," he whispered.

"I agree," His father said, patting him softly on the back. "She couldn't stop complaining about that little stubble on your face either-I dunno, kinda just looks like dirt to me," he joked and Sam laughed weakly.

"That's what I thought," Sam replied. "The stubble stays. But I will cook her favorite food for tonight." He said.

"That'll probably work, too." Samuel replied as he walked back to his desk. Sam's eyes narrowed as he watched him. He and his dad weren't as close as he and his mom but he still expected to spend _some _time with him.

"Dad are you really gonna wor-,"

"No." His father interrupted. Sam had developed his ability to read people and finish their sentences from him. "I just finished up some paperwork and I was just putting it away." He told him as he put the folders in a manila folder before placing them in his file cabinet. He turned around to his son, taking his glasses off and placing them on the desk as he said,

"Get the basketball,"

For Sam and his father, there were only a few things they did to bond-played sports, watched sports, and fished. They had a small basketball court built in the backyard when Sam was young and truthfully it hadn't been used often. His father worked a lot. But whenever they did play, they had a blast. The same was true for that day. Sam had inherited his competitiveness from his mother but his father was still naturally a better athlete than him. As a kid, Sam had outgrown his friends quickly in height but he was naturally lanky. He didn't have the strongest of desires to be muscular but when he entered high school, a senior had tried to intimidate him-make him feel weak, mostly because at first glance, he thought he could. Sam had successfully shown him that he was stronger than he looked but he didn't want anyone to ever question his physical strength again. So he'd joined a gym, lifted weights, added more protein to his diet, and put on about thirty pounds between his freshmen and sophomore year. No one ever approached him again. Nonetheless, he still couldn't compete with his father in size and athletic skill. His father beat him in all three games of "21". He wasn't one to gloat, but Sam had definitely gotten his use of slick comments from him. It was four in the afternoon when they finished. They both showered and afterwards Sam began roasting a honey ham for his mother's birthday dinner. His dad came in and grabbed a beer, before sitting on a bar stool and responding to emails on his phone.

"Mind if I have one of those?" Sam asked him, signaling to the beer.

"If you won a basketball game I probably wouldn't," his father quipped and Sam chuckled as he prepped the mac and cheese.

"How's school going?" Samuel asked.

"It's good," Sam replied. "It's great," he said before explaining the internship opportunity he had.

"Brown and Pierce are all over the _world_," his father remarked.

"I know," Sam said proudly.

"Guess I can give up on trying to get you to change to law then," he said and Sam smirked as he nodded.

"You _can. _But you won't," he replied and his dad shrugged as he took a sip of his beer.

"Dad, you know about this Alex guy?" Sam asked him, suddenly remembering that he would be there that night.

"Yeah, I've met him," he sad. "He's a good kid, Sam and Sarah likes him. Don't mess it up for her,"

"You're on his side, too?" Sam exclaimed.

"There are no _sides_," His dad laughed. "Your sister's real happy around him, that's all I know. And she's got more reason to be sad than most." He said and Sam sighed as he softened. He wanted her to be happy. But he also just wanted her to be careful. "Who's Mercedes?" His father suddenly asked and Sam smiled immediately. "_Oh_," he said before Sam could reply.

"What?" Sam said.

"I know that look." He told him and Sam chuckled. "How'd you meet?" he asked and Sam explained the circumstances honestly, almost laughing at his father's facial expressions as he told him.

"You stayed in her house with her after you'd _just _met her?" he questioned in disbelief.

"She messed up her legs," Sam said and his father chuckled. "Don't tell mom," he told him and Samuel nodded. A silence fell between them for a moment before his father spoke again.

"Do you love her?" he asked and Sam smiled.

"Yeah, I do." he said.

"Then can I give you some advice?" He offered and Sam nodded.

"_Never _leave when you're angry. Things are always just a little bit different every time you come back." he told him and Sam's eyes narrowed.

"You and mom are fine, right?"

"We're okay." his father assured him. "But your mother wasn't always the way she is-guarded and distant. There was a time when we were different. She was different-she loved hard and more," he paused as he searched for a word, "-more openly." he continued. "What she is now, I did that." he admitted before throwing back the rest of his beer. Sam was shocked. He'd always thought his mother was just built that way. It had never crossed his mind that his father was the cause of it. He realized then that she and Mercedes had even more in common than he'd thought.

A half an hour passed before his mother and Sarah walked through the door. He heard his mom walk upstairs as Sarah rounded the corner on her braces to the kitchen. She looked at Sam and frowned.

"It's not like that, Sarah." He told her and she nodded.

"I know," she said and Sam's eyes narrowed. "I have friends, too, Sam. And a couple of them were at the," she glanced quickly at their father before mouthing _bar _and Sam chuckled. "They saw what happened last night. One of them called me about it this morning. I wasn't gonna tell mom but," she cringed as she looked at his eye. "Guess I didn't have to anyway." she said and Sam sighed.

"Well, did you tell her?" Sam asked and she nodded.

"She's still being weird about it though," she told him as she moved to sit down on the couch, sniffing. "Did you make ham?" she asked hungrily and Sam laughed.

"Dad, can you keep an eye on this stuff while I-,"

"Go," his father interrupted and Sam nodded as he headed for the stairs. He knocked softly on her bedroom door and opened it at the sound of her permission. He found her sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair out of the single braid she'd had it in earlier.

"Happy birthday, mom." He said as he approached her and she half laughed, half scoffed. He sighed as he moved to sit at the edge of her bed. "Mom, I didn't fight,"

"I know, Sam." she said. She was quiet for a moment, shaking her head as a tear began to fall down her cheek. "You just have no idea what you put me through," she almost sobbed as she placed her brush on the vanity.

"I do, mom." he replied quickly, moving to stand behind her. "Dad told me everything. Mom, I'm so sorry." he said. "I was selfish and stupid." he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But you have to believe me. Things are different now. _I'm _different." he promised her. She nodded as tears fell from her eyes.

"I do believe you," she told him. "But when I saw you like this today, it broke my heart. I just-I can't handle the idea of you doing this again, especially now that you're so far away."

"I know," he said as he bent to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm not that person anymore, " he told her. "I love you, mom." he declared and she smiled.

"I love you, too." she said. "And I smelled that ham." she told him and he chuckled as he released her, standing up straight again.

"Just for you," he told her and she sighed happily as she stood.

"I'm so glad you're here." She said, rubbing his arm as they headed out of room. Just as they mounted the stairs the doorbell rang and Sam darted for it, knowing exactly who it was. He heard his mother laugh behind him. When he opened the door, a young man with dark hair and brown eyes stood before him. He smiled pleasantly at Sam before extending his hand to him.

"You must be Sam," he said. "Hey Mrs. Evans," he greeted and she spoke as she past them and into the dining room.

"You must be Alex," Sam replied, shaking his hand. Alex nodded as he entered the house comfortably-as if he knew his way around.

"Mr. Evans!" Sam heard him say enthusiastically, followed by a loud clap of their hands. He walked into the kitchen where they were, preparing to take the food to the dining room table and eavesdropping as Alex and his father talked. They conversed as if they'd done it a million times-as if he'd been there often. The moment that mattered most to Sam, though, was when he watched Alex freeze, his suddenly lit eyes drifting to Sarah as she approached them. Nothing that Samuel was saying to him seemed to matter anymore.

"Hey Sar," he greeted and she smiled softly at him, her eyes sharing the same glow as his.

"Hey Alex," she replied. Sam couldn't fight the smile that formed on his lips as he watched the encounter. And he wondered if this was the way he and Mercedes looked when they were around each other. He watched as they hugged and he whispered something to her that made her burst into a fit of giggles. She looked happier than he'd ever seen her. And suddenly his plans to interrogate him into the ground faded. He still wanted to talk to him, but his desire to intimidate him had dissipated.

They had dinner at the table, laughing and talking as they ate. Sam strategically asked questions about Alex as they all talked so that it wouldn't seem like an interrogation. He found out that he was a baseball player and had scholarships to multiple schools-which explained why his father liked him so much. He also learned that he played the guitar and Sam's family raved about it, telling him he just _had _to hear him play one day.

"I actually have my guitar with me. In my car." Alex told them, promising them that he would play for them later on under one condition. "Sarah has to sing with me," he said.

"What?" Sam's mom retorted, her eyes narrowed and Samuel's neck snapped back in confusion.

"Tiny doesn't sing." Sam said and Alex looked at her, his eyebrows lifted as he smiled. Sam noticed then that Sarah hadn't said a word and that she looked particularly guilty. "Do you sing?" He asked her and she bit her lip as she looked down at her hands. He knew then that the answer was yes. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

Sarah shrugged.

"I guess I never really knew before." She said quietly as she looked at Alex, who smiled encouragingly at her. Sam's eyebrows pulled together as he watched them. This was definitely more than a crush.

After they finished dinner, Sylvia blew out the candles on the cake that Sarah had made for her that morning. Sam looked on as Sarah smashed Alex's face with some of her cake as they ate and something twinged in him as he watched them laughing together. Afterwards, Alex helped her clean up before he went outside to get his guitar. Sam couldn't pass up on the opportunity to talk to him alone. He wasn't sure if this was a talk that his father had already had with Alex but it didn't matter-he wanted to talk to him anyway.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Sam lied as he stood from the table.

"_Sam_," Sarah knowingly growled.

"I'll be right back," he said as he walked away. Alex was just taking the first step to the porch when Sam walked out, his guitar in hand. He smiled and stopped when he saw Sam.

"When Sarah told me you suggested I come to dinner, I was excited. But I also knew this was coming," he chuckled. "Should we sit down?" He asked. Sam was shocked by his confidence. Sam had to be twice his size and yet he showed no fear. He looked him right in his eyes, stood up straight, and spoke with self-assurance. Sam was baffled, but he appreciated it.

"No, no. I'll be quick." he said.

"Before you say anything, I just wanna say that I _really _like Sarah. I'm not sure if she's noticed but I do. She's sweet and funny and smart and beautiful-I know you know all that stuff already but I just want you to know that I know, too. I like being around her a lot. I'm happiest when she's around. I don't know if you know how that feels but, yeah." he shrugged. "I just wanted to say that."

Sam softened as he listened to him. He did know what it felt like. He never felt happier than he did when Mercedes was around. It was interesting though, to hear him rave about his sister. This was the girl he'd grown up with, who he'd protected and cared for his whole life. He'd seen her for who she was and he'd always hoped that she'd find someone else who would in the future. But now that it had happened, he was a little afraid that he would lose her. He knew it was irrational and he wouldn't act on that fear, but it tugged at him nonetheless. He knew that Alex liked her, he could see that just by looking at them together. But he still couldn't help but worry about what would happen in the future.

"I do know what that feels like," he admitted, thinking of Mercedes. "And I believe everything you said. But this is my little sister. She's been through a lot and she's got plenty more to go through. I just hope you understand what you're doing. She needs a lot." He said.

"With all due respect, Sam, Sarah isn't as fragile as you think."

"Excuse me?" Sam replied, his eyebrows furrowed, slightly offended.

"She's so strong and I'm inspired by he because of it." Alex said "I know that she's got her condition and she needs help doing certain things and I'm willing to help her with all those things. But I just think you should know she's capable of so much more than you give her credit for." He said. Sam couldn't deny that he was right. He'd always been so set on protecting Sarah that he hadn't realize he was coddling her-that he was becoming a crutch she didn't need and stunting her growth.

He'd had no idea his sister could sing and if it weren't for Alex, she probably wouldn't have ever known either. Sam realized then why Sarah liked him so much. He was the only one out of all them who didn't make her feel incapable. And she needed that.

"You're right," Sam admitted. Alex smiled.

"Am I off your kill list?" He asked.

"Well considering that you're a guy and you're probably eventually gonna have sex with my sister, you're pretty much a permanent entry." Sam told him and Alex chuckled. "But you're good for now." He told him. They shook hands once more before entering the house. Sarah looked concernedly at Sam as they joined everyone in the living room and he gave her a thumbs up, making her smile. Alex sat on the couch next to Sarah and smiled at her, his guitar in his lap as everyone sat around them watching.

"Ready?" He asked her and she chuckled nervously as she nodded.

"Ready," she said. Alex began strumming on his guitar, the beautiful melody filling the room, bringing smiles to all of their faces. And when the first lyric left Sarah's mouth, Sam's heart stopped. She sounded beautiful and she looked even more beautiful as she sang. Sam couldn't believe it. It seemed to come so naturally to her and she clearly loved it. He looked at his mother who was covering her mouth as her eyes watered and his dad who couldn't sit still as he listened, all of them equally baffled. When the song was over, Sam moved to wrap his arms around her and she laughed in his arms.

"Did you write that?" Samuel asked Alex.

"No, sir, all her." Alex replied, signaling to Sarah. "She's a star." he said as he looked fondly at her, and Sylvia "aww'd". Sarah pulled away from Sam then and allowed Alex to wrap her in a hug. He fought the idea that he was being replaced and instead embraced the happiness he felt for his sister.

They stayed up watching movies for the rest of the night until they fell asleep. Alex had spent the night and when Sam woke, he found Sarah resting peacefully with her head on his lap as they slept on the couch. He couldn't say the closeness didn't bother him a bit. But she was eighteen and clearly happy. He wouldn't be the reason that it all came to an end.

Sam and his mother cooked breakfast together, as they often did when he was younger. She seemed to have completely gotten over the incident the night before and could look at him without cringing at the sight of his bruised eye. After they all ate breakfast, they spent the majority of the day playing cards, playing Taboo, and reminiscing. Every once in a while, Sam would catch Alex watching Sarah. She didn't have to be doing anything spectacular, just _breathing _and he seemed intrigued. He remembered the night when he'd found himself staring intently at Mercedes as she did her homework. She was dressed in yoga pants and a t-shirt but he still hadn't been able to stop looking at her. Not only because of her beauty. When he looked at her he saw so much more than that-he saw his possible future. And he liked the way it looked with her. He wondered if Alex had been thinking the same.

The next morning Sam woke early in the morning to head for his flight. He climbed into bed next to his sister and hugged her before getting up to leave her room.

"Sam," she called after him and he turned to look at her.

"If anything happens, I'll call you." she told him and he smiled as he looked at her.

"You're strong." he said. "You don't need me."

"I'll always need you," she chuckled out. "You're my big brother." she said and he smiled.

"See'ya later, Tiny."

"Bye, Sammy." She whispered just before he walked out.

He said goodbye to his mom on the porch. She hugged him tightly until he had to pull away and she made him promise he would bring Mercedes home soon. Then his father drove him to the airport.

"Seat belt," Samuel urged. "Who's picking you up from the airport?" he asked as Sam buckled in.

"Mercedes," he answered.

"She know what time your plane lands?" His father questioned and Sam chuckled.

"Yes, dad." He said. When he'd moved away, he'd been happy to get away from his father's constant questioning and interrogating, but in that moment he actually appreciated it. His father gave him a handshake and a hug when they reached the airport and told him to come back soon.

He was sure he'd miss his family but he couldn't wait to get back to Mercedes and his friends. Tennessee was where his family lived but he felt like he was _home _whenever she was around. If he could have his family and Mercedes and his friends all in one place, he would. But for now, as he stood waiting to board his plane, he couldn't wait to be _home. _And when he suddenly got a text from her expressing that she couldn't wait to see him, his excitement built. He missed her and he couldn't deny that while being away, he'd built up quite an _appetite _for her.

The flight seemed to take decades to land and when it did, getting off seemed to take even longer. When he finally got into the airport, he smiled when he saw her standing at the entrance. She half pouted, half laughed when she saw his eye. The first thing he could think of doing was sucking her pouting bottom lip into his mouth. And he was sure she knew it.

"Don't do that, don't." Sam said, reaching out to cover her face with his hands. She laughed as she pulled her face away.

"Come on, I parked at the diner across the street." She told him as she turned to walk away. But before she could take two steps, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back and into his chest, her breathed hitching as she crashed into him. Her eyes met his and warmth built quickly between them. And it was her who lifted to her tip toes and kissed him, their lips moving harmoniously and yet wildly together. There was a powerful longing rising between them that caused them to forget where they were and the hundreds of people who surrounded them. When they finally released each other, he smiled down at her, his hand caressing her cheek and she bit her lip to suppress her grin as she looked around, remembering where they were. Then he took her hand into his as they walked.

"It's actually kinda sexy." She told him as they headed towards the diner.

"My _black eye_?"

"Yeah." She said. And he stared down at her as she smiled and walked, his eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, it actually makes total sense that you would say that. _Weirdo_." he said.

"Why?" she giggled out as she nudged him in the side with her shoulder.

"You _bit _me," he reminded her as they stood waiting to cross the street.

"I did?" she asked, looking deliberately clueless.

"You did," he replied and she cocked her head curiously to the side and he chuckled.

"Did it feel anything like this?" She questioned, just before she lifted up on her tip toes again to bite down softly on his ear and tug. Sam froze as his body tingled. Before he knew it, she was crossing the street while he stood in place, watching her hips sway in her fitting light jeans as desire quickly pumped through him. No one had ever been able to get him riled up like she could.

"You coming?" She asked, never turning around. He shook his head as he finally went after her.

"_You _are trouble," he told her and she shook her head, whispering, almost it seemed to herself,

"Only with you, Evans."

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I've really enjoyed the chapters in Tennessee because I feel like Sam has learned a lot in both of them but specifically in this one from Alex. I know there wasn't much Samcedes but the next chapter will definitely get back to them.


	17. Chapter 12

This is just a quick Samcedes bit to last you guys before I disappear for the weekend. It's pretty much from both of their POV's. I'm so grateful for all your feedback and reviews, it all means a lot! Hope you enjoy! :)

"This is the eighth store, babe." Sam said as they entered a small and elegant boutique in the mall. It was the middle of the week and Mercedes was looking for a dress for her interview at _Zest _for the next day.

"Are we counting?" she asked as she looked through a dress rack.

"Well _I _am. And this is the eighth one."

"Your point?"

"My point is, you looked amazing in every one of the dresses you tried on already and I'm starving so just pick one already." He told her.

"_I'm _sorry, whose idea was it for you to come with me?" She asked him and he sighed.

"Mine," he breathed.

"And who warned you that it probably wasn't a good idea?"

"You did, but Jesus Christ, we stay here any longer and we might as well spend the night." He said and Mercedes chuckled.

"So dramatic."

"So _hungry._" he corrected. "Can we just take a break?"

"If I take a break, I'm gonna lose my momentum and I'm so close I can feel it." she told him.

"You said that an hour ago." he noted and she looked at him straight faced before looking back at the dress rack and rolling her eyes.

"I _really _feel it this time. It's like I can hear the dress calling me, I just have to find it."

"Can you _hear _my stomach growling?" he asked and she smirked.

"Sam, let me just look around this one last store and I promise," she trailed off as she eyed a gray dress.

"Promise what?"

"You'll eat,"

"Eat what?" he asked mischievously as he stood behind her, his voice suddenly lower. She sucked her teeth as she realized his meaning, shoving his arm as she laughed.

"_Sam_," she growled and he chuckled, throwing his hands up in innocence.

"Alright, alright." he said.

* * *

She looked around for a little while longer, picking up dress after dress and examining them as Sam leaned weakly on the rack. She laughed as she looked at him every once in a while. He'd started the shopping trip off so much more enthusiastic even as she warned him he would regret it. By the fourth store and the first hour and a half, he understood why.

About ten minutes passed before her eyes landed on a black mid-length body-con dress, with a horizontal band across the the straps, wrapping all the way around the shoulders. She approached it slowly, examining it as she walked and Sam stood up straight, watching her, praying that this would be the dress that got him the hell out of the mall. She reached out to touch the soft fabric, rolling her fingers across it before turning to look at Sam.

"I think this is it." she said and he pumped his fist weakly in celebration before he moved towards her quickly, pulling her along towards the private dressing rooms.

"Excuse me, you are not allowed in there," an older woman said as they moved past her and towards an empty room.

"I'm her husband," he lied just before he pushed Mercedes inside and joined her, closing the door quickly behind them as Mercedes laughed.

"Liar," she whispered.

"Shh," he said as he took a seat on the white cushioned chair in the corner. He watched her as she stripped down to her underwear. He didn't think he would ever get used to seeing her delectably curvaceous body exposed—or the fact that he got to touch it whenever he wanted. And he _really _wanted to right now. Suddenly as he looked around the dressing room, he was transported back to the day at her cousin's wedding, when they'd sneaked off to the dressing room in the hall. The room had seemed to close in on them with only desire filling the small space between them. They hadn't been able to finish what they'd started but the memory was vivid in his mind nonetheless.

"Sam," Mercedes called, bringing him back to the present. His head popped up and he looked at her. "Can you help me zip this?" she asked. He hadn't even seen her put the dress on. But as he moved the stand behind her, closer than necessary as he zipped the dress, his skin was on fire with desire. His hands slid slowly down the sides of her arms after he was done, and he looked at her in the mirror. She looked stunning, the dress hugged every one of her curves perfectly. He moved his hands down the sides her body, following the curvy path until he reached her hips and then he pulled her ass roughly into him.

"_Sam_," she whispered, though her eyes were suddenly shaded with lust.

"You look amazing," he whispered back, just before he bent to kiss her neck. She leaned her head to the side to give him more access, her eyes closing as he kissed and nibbled at her skin. She knew it was a bad idea—letting him start this; because she knew she wouldn't want to stop him. There was an almost divine weakness that took over her whenever he touched her. She couldn't decide if it was a bad thing or not—but when it was happening, it felt anything but bad. She turned around suddenly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips to hers. They kissed deeply, reveling in the feel of the warmth of their mouths as his hands roamed wildly over her body. He pulled away suddenly, his bottom lip popping back after she released it from her grip. His eyes landed on the decorative high table against the wall next to them that held a plant. He picked her up abruptly, wrapping her legs around him as he carried her towards it. He moved the plant quickly, putting it on the floor next to them before placing her on the table, his lips colliding roughly with hers again, rousing a soft moan out of her.

"Remind you of anything?" he asked. And she shook her head as she remembered the encounter at the wedding in the dressing room.

"Sam, there's an old woman out there," she said.

"Then be quiet," he growled just before he covered her lips with his again, silencing her. His hands roamed curiously up her thighs and beneath her dress, gripping them and pulling her hips forward. Then he reached down between her legs, moving her lace panties to the side before his hand began to move against her sex. She pulled her lips away from his, leaning her head back against the wall as her body shivered against his touch. His hand was pressed against her, moving in tortuous circles, and her skin was suddenly warm. Then when two of his long fingers suddenly entered her, she wasn't prepared. A loud moan ripped through her before his lips crashed into hers again, stifling her as he laughed quietly against her mouth. His fingers moved skillfully inside of her as she wrapped her arms around his neck again, holding onto him to keep from wriggling off of the table as she sped towards her climax.

"Sam," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. He loved the way his name sounded on her voice when she was coming apart. He watched her, waiting for the signs that he knew so well now—the signs that would tell him she was there. When her eyes shut tightly and her mouth fell open, a small gasp escaping her, he knew to kiss her to keep her quiet as she came. Her moans muffled against his mouth as he kissed her and pulled out his fingers. Her head fell back against the wall again as she caught her breath. Before either of them could say a word, a knock came to the door and Mercedes jumped from the table.

"Is everything alright in there?" the old woman's voice came through the door.

"Yes—yep," Mercedes began, her voice still strained and Sam fought to restrain his laughter. "I'm gonna get this one," she told the lady.

"Hmph," they heard the woman say, just before the sound of her footsteps walking away. Sam burst into laughter once she was gone and Mercedes' mouth fell open in shock as she moved towards him slapping him repeatedly on the arm as she started to chuckle.

"You're such an ass," she told him.

"That's not what you were saying a minute ago," he retorted as he grabbed her slapping hands.

"A minute ago I wasn't—_conscious_," she decided.

"You were sexy," he told her, just before he bent to kiss her again. She pressed her hand against his chest, stopping him before his lips could touch hers.

"Get out," she ordered and he laughed. "You're gonna get me in trouble, _go." _She said as she opened the door, pushing him out.

"Alright, alright." he said as he left, the door closing behind him.

Later on at Mercedes' apartment, they sat on the couch in a comfortable silence as they each worked on their separate homework before Sam remembered what he was supposed to tell her the day he got back.

"My mom wants to meet you," he suddenly said. She looked up at him quickly, her eyebrows furrowed.

"She does?"

"She does," he assured her. "I told her all about how you used me for food and care for a week and how now you use me for sex and she insisted that you come home with me the next time I go." he said and she laughed. The concept of meeting his parents had yet to cross his mind. Sam was likable and charming, it was easy for people to take to him. She didn't know if she thought the same of herself.

"I'm still using you for food a little bit now, too." she joked and he chuckled.

"So do you wanna come?" he asked and she shrugged nervously.

"When?" she questioned.

"Whenever," he said. "The next time I go, you come with me." he suggested and she sighed.

"Sam, what if they don't like me? You said yourself that your dad is really protective. If he doesn't like me for you, he'll probably— ,"

"They _already _love you." he interrupted, putting his work down and moving closer to her. "I dunno if you've noticed but I'm kind of ridiculously in love with you," he shrugged and she chuckled weakly. "And they could tell, just by looking at me whenever I mentioned you." he said, taking her hand in his. "They can see how good you are for me already and they haven't even met you yet." he told her, leaning over to kiss her quickly on the lips. "Don't worry." he said. She leaned her head into him and sighed.

"They're gonna think I'm a gold digger," she mumbled.

"No they're not," he laughed. "They're gonna love you."

"What if they don't?" she asked.

"_Bye_," he quipped and she giggled, slapping his chest playfully. "If they don't—but they _will—_they'll just have to get over it." he shrugged. "I'm not gonna just let you go." he said and she smiled. She didn't know what the future held, but she liked the sound of that.

Brace yourselves. Angst is coming. :/


	18. Chapter 13

MERCEDES' POV

It was her third week working at _Zest. _In the beginning, she'd only had a few hours here and there while she finished up her last two weeks at _Guess_. But now, everything was real and hectic. Her boss, Tessa, used her for more than she imagined she was even supposed to. As she sat in on a photo shoot for one of their newest lines, she thought about the day she'd gotten interviewed. She'd been wearing the dress that she'd bought with Sam and the memory of what they'd done in the dressing room that day threatened to cloud her mind as she waited in Tessa's office for her. The walls in her office were painted yellow, and all around it dozens of different colors were thrown around. Among the completely random pink suede chairs, there were variously colored pictures, small statues, wall ornaments, et cetera. None of it seemed like it would generally ever make sense and yet it all fit.

Tessa was a tall, lean woman, her skin only a little darker than Mercedes', her eyes were dark, and her hair was long, blonde and in one beautiful fishtail braid. At first glance, Mercedes had considered asking her what color she used to dye her hair because Alicia had been looking for an effective blonde dye for a while. But she remembered that she'd read in the pamphlet that Tessa's parents were Melanesian, so she guessed it might be natural.

"Mercedes Jones, I presume?" She asked as she took a seat at her desk. Mercedes smiled reaching her hand out to her. Tessa looked down at her hand as if considering it before extending her hand and shaking it.

"Yes ma'am, I am." Mercedes said cheerfully.

* * *

"You were early." Tessa noted as she closed the folders on her desk and stacked them. Mercedes nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I was always taught that being on time means being ten minutes early." she told her. Tessa looked up at her, her hands intertwining with each other on the desk. A smile fell slowly on her lips.

"That's nice," she said. "Look, you can cool it with the _ma'am _stuff. We're all adults here and we treat each other as such." she told her and Mercedes nodded as she understood. She was relieved to know that.

"That's nice, too." Mercedes replied. Tessa asked her about her experience and Mercedes explained that she was a valued employee at _Guess _and that she'd grown up working in her Aunt Debra's boutique. Tessa seemed impressed. She'd expected her to be the cliche boss from hell before she met her, but she'd actually been able to laugh and talk to her throughout the interview. She'd even gotten comfortable enough to ask her about her hair as Tessa showed her around and she had happily explained. It was indeed natural. Her parents had come from the Somolan Islands when her mother was pregnant with her. They'd struggled for years, her dad working as a carpenter and her mother raising her and her three brothers.

"I bet they're proud of you-for doing all of _this_." Mercedes said.

"Proud of _us_," she heard a voice say behind them as they stood in the drawing room. They both stood and behind them leaning on the door frame there stood a man who looked almost identical to Tessa, only his hair was darker, his eyes a light brown, and his jaw bones stronger and pebbled with stubble. He wore a black tailored suit, paired with nice dark shoes, and a silver and black watch. He was good looking and he clearly knew fashion.

"Mercedes Jones, this is my elder brother Vincent. He's in charge of the business side of things around here. He's not here often, in fact I'm not sure _why _he's here now." Tessa said as he moved towards them, shaking Mercedes' hand as he smiled at her.

"I'm just here to pick up some paperwork." he explained to his sister, never looking away from Mercedes. "Pleasure meeting you, Mercedes." he said and she smiled, slightly uncomfortable by the eye contact.

"You as well," she replied.

"You're here for an interview for the internship?" he asked and she nodded.

"I am," she said.

"Sure you can handle her? She's a dragon sometimes," he told her Mercedes chuckled as Tessa shoved him softly.

"I'm sure I'll manage." Mercedes said. He chuckled lightly as he looked at her for a moment too long before turning to his sister.

"Executive decision-ready?" he asked and Tessa rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms on her chest. "_Hire _her." he said. Mercedes eyes widened as a short surprised laugh escaped her and Tessa sighed dramatically.

"If you _insist,_" Tessa quipped and Mercedes laughed again, suddenly even more excited.

"I've got to get out of here," Vincent breathed as he looked at his watch before turning away. "See you around, Mercedes Jones." he called back just before he disappeared into the hallway.

"I'm gonna warn you now to stay as far away from him as possible." Tessa suddenly said. "He's a bit of a flirt. Well a big one, actually. And it's just not professional, you know?"

Mercedes shook her head as Tessa spoke.

"Oh, no. That's not something you have to worry about. I have a boyfriend and he's-," she smiled as she thought about Sam, inhaling a breath through her teeth. "-he's great." she completed. Tessa grinned, looking down at her.

"Good," she said. "Ready to say goodbye to _Guess_?" she asked and Mercedes nodded quickly.

"For this? Of course." she replied and Tessa laughed shortly, reaching out and patting her shoulder softly before saying,

"I'll see you next Monday."

Ever since then, Mercedes had time for almost nothing besides her school work. She was exhausted most of the time but she loved it. She absolutely loved going to work everyday. Tessa allowed her to work very closely with her, even proof some of the sketches that the employees brought in-much to their annoyance. She was having an absolute blast and it only increased her excitement about her future.

Mercedes had gotten Friday off because Tessa went to a conference downtown, though she was on call. Most of the time when she was on call, Tessa would ring her for things that she could very well do on her own. Mercedes knew that, but she didn't want to lose her job.

Sam and Mercedes had gone to the movies with Devon and Alicia that Friday and afterwards they ate dinner at Chili's. Later, Devon and Alicia went to the supermarket to look for a massage kit while Sam and Mercedes went back to the apartment. They lay on the couch, Mercedes on her back and Sam on top of her as their lips moved against each others, his hand roaming slowly up her shirt. Chills ran up her spine as his hand touched her and she moaned when it finally reached her breast, her nipples hardening beneath the thin fabric of her bra.

It was rare they ever got to do this anymore. Sam's internship-but mostly her schedule-had gotten in the way of them being together more than Mercedes ever imagined it would. She missed him and his touch. But she was having an absolute blast at work.

"Sam," she said, trying her best to convince herself to stop his hand from going beneath her bra.

"Hmm?" he breathed as his lips moved to her neck.

"Alicia and Devon could show up any minute," she told him and he shook his head.

"Don't care," he replied as his hand slipped beneath her bra and she closed her eyes when his fingers made contact with her swollen nipple.

"Sa-," she began but his lips crashed into hers, stopping her before she could protest. She relaxed quickly into the kiss. She was physically weak for him and they hadn't had sex all week. Suddenly she felt like she _needed _it. She gripped her hands around the bottom of his shirt, tugging so he would know to take it off. He leaned up, pulling the shirt off quickly and tossing it on the ground before his lips collided with hers, moving hungrily against them. Her hands moved up his strong back as they kissed and she moaned when his tongue entered her mouth.

Mercedes had no plans to stop until her work cell phone rung on the end table next to the sofa. She pulled her lips swiftly away from his and moved to get up.

"No, no, no," Sam protested quietly as he bent his head to kiss her again and she laughed as she pushed him away.

"Sam-just wait," she said and he groaned as he sat up a bit to free her, handing her her phone.

"Hey Tess," she greeted once she answered, looking up at shirtless Sam, a frown settling on his just-kissed lips.

"Mercedes, a few _very _important people are here at _Bloom _downtown. Come have a drink with us, you _must. _Cranberry juice-something. I want to show you off. Plus I need you to pick up the summer look book from the office and bring it to me, if you're not busy. You still have that key I gave you, right?" Tessa spilled and Mercedes frowned as she looked at Sam. She knew he would hate this. She also know that she didn't _have _to go. But she'd never said no to Tessa before, she didn't know what would happen if she did. And she didn't want to find out.

"Yeah, I have it. I'll be there in thirty minutes," she said, watching Sam's face fall above her. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Each time Sam had expressed his upset over it but she'd always been able to make him get over it. At least she thought.

"Mercedes it's ten at night!" Sam exclaimed, once she'd hung up.

"I'm sorry, Sam, I have to go." she said. "This is my job," she told him and Sam scoffed as he stood up from the couch.

"It's your _job _to go out for drinks with your boss and a group of random people?" he asked sarcastically. Mercedes hadn't realized he'd heard the call.

"It's my _job _to do what Tessa asks me to do," she replied, sitting up on the couch to look at him.

"She gave you an _option, _Mercedes. I heard her say, 'if you're not busy', didn't you?" he questioned. Before she could reply, the front door swung open with Devon and Alicia walking through, laughing as they entered. Mercedes stood to look at them, watching as Alicia's eyes fell quickly onto Sam's bare chest.

"Are we interrupting something?" she asked and Devon chuckled lightly next to her.

"Apparently not," Sam replied, picking his shirt up from the ground and slipping it on.

"Sa-,"

"Why don't we just talk when you actually have time?" he spit back, interrupting her. Mercedes' eyebrows pulled together as she looked at him. But he looked away. Alicia and Devon walked cautiously to Alicia's room.

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" she promised and Sam shrugged as he shook his head.

"Your shoes are over there," he said coldly, nodding his head towards the dining room. She'd never seen him like this. She didn't like it. But she felt like she had to go. She slipped into her black sandals before moving back to him and standing on her to tip toes to place a soft kiss on the corner of his lips. Usually, he'd move quickly to catch her directly on the lips instead. This time, he didn't move. Mercedes frowned as she pulled back to look at him. He wouldn't even look at her. She sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said and then she headed for the door.

She felt guilty as she drove and she hated that. She didn't think she should have to feel guilty for wanting to do her job, for wanting to be successful in the fashion world-it was her dream. She didn't want to have to sacrifice it.

At the bar, she met a few popular fashion designers and conversed with all of them. She tried her best to ignore the tugging in her stomach whenever Sam crossed her mind. By the end of the night, she was exhausted. She'd made it home at one in the morning and almost didn't even make it to her bed before she fell quickly to sleep.

SAM'S POV

Sam had barely slept. The night before had gone in a way that he hadn't hoped it would. He'd missed her more than anything and she'd finally gotten a day off. He wanted to spent it with her, and he thought she would want the same. His stomach turned at the sound of her phone ringing as he kissed her. It had become an almost regular occurrence and Sam had began to resent it. When she decided to go, he was angry and he felt it was rightfully so. She had no time for him in her life anymore and he was starting to wonder if it was really because she refused to take any.

He hoped she would stay. Even as she walked out the door, he hoped she would turn around and come back. That she would change her mind and call her boss back-that she would choose him. But she hadn't. And to top it all off, she hadn't even called like she promised she would. He felt neglected-like he had for the past two weeks.

As Sam drove to her apartment that next afternoon, he was still itchy with anger. He took long, deep breaths, trying to keep himself calm so that he could have a conversation with her and not an argument.

It was Alicia who answered the door, her growing stomach peeking out of the white tank top she wore.

"Hey Sam," she greeted through a pitying smile.

"Hey Alicia," he replied. "Mercedes up?" he asked as he entered, heading immediately for her room door.

"Guess you're gonna find out," Alicia said as Sam opened the door. He found her sitting at her vanity, a few sketches of clothing in front of her. He chuckled sarcastically when he saw her, shaking his head. She looked back at him, her eyebrows lifted.

"Wow," he said as he turned away, heading again for the front door. He couldn't believe she was awake. He'd thought she'd at least be asleep-which would explain why he hadn't heard from her.

"Sam!" she called. He stopped, turning to look at her. "What's going on?" she asked, genuinely clueless. Sam's eyes widened as he looked at her. And she swore under her breath as she realized. "I was exhausted, Sam. I could barely even make it to my room," she explained and he nodded.

"You're up now, aren't you?" he asked sarcastically and her eyes narrowed.

"Well yeah, I had a few sketches to look over for Tes-,"

"For Tessa, I know." he finished and Mercedes scoffed.

"Sam, what's the problem?" she asked him, and he laughed shortly.

"The problem is that we haven't seen each other for more than thirty minutes in almost two weeks." he told her. "Or is that not a problem for you?"

"Of course it is. It's not like I'm just avoiding you, Sam. I've been working."

"No, I don't think you're just _working _anymore, Mercedes. You're obsessing." he said. Mercedes' neck snapped back as her arms crossed over her chest.

"What?"

"Where've you been, Mercedes?" he asked her.

"I've been here." she replied.

"No, _I've _been here. You've been somewhere else where obviously I don't matter and neither does our relationship."

"Sam, that's not true."

"Isn't it?" he retorted. "When's the last time you asked me about my internship?" he asked. "When's the last time we had an actual conversation that didn't end in you choosing to run off and do something for Queen Tessa?"

"_Choosing?_" Mercedes spat back.

"Yes, _choosing._" he replied. "That bar last night was only ten minutes away from _Zest. _She could've easily gotten the look book herself and you know that."

"I can't afford to say no to her, I need to keep my job!"

"But you can afford to _constantly _say no to me, right? To just pick me up and put me down when you have time like some old toy?" he asked. A silence stretched between them as Mercedes looked down a her feet. "Mercedes?" he called and she looked up at him.

"What do you want me to say, Sam?" she replied. "I wanna be with you and I don't mean to make you feel like this. But I can't risk my job. Why can't you understand that?"

"Because I cant, Mercedes! I can't understand why you would constantly choose other things before being with me-especially when you have an option, and we both know you almost always do. Because I would _never _do that to you!" He almost yelled. He inhaled deeply. "I'm not asking you to choose between me and your job, I wouldn't do that. I know how important it is to you. I would just like to feel like _we _are important to you _sometimes._" he said, shaking his head. "If not, I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" she asked.

"This,"he replied. "I can't be your last choice." he said. "Why can't you just say no sometimes? If you know you can, why don't you?" he asked her. "Or do you just not want to?"

Mercedes shrugged. "I love my job," she admitted. "I don't want to lose it or you, but," she shook her head. "I don't know what to say." she said. And Sam's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, suddenly more annoyed than anything.

"Call me when you figure it out." he snapped, just before he went to walk out the door, slamming it behind him. He didn't know how she'd responded as he left and he wouldn't care right now. He couldn't believe her. To him, this was all simple. If he had a break from work and he had the option to spend it with her, he would, no questions asked. He loved her. And he thought she felt the same. But he wasn't so sure anymore.

Sorry.


	19. Chapter 14

MERCEDES' POV

Five days had passed since everything had gone downhill with Sam. They hadn't spoken or seen each other since. Mercedes had thought it over constantly. But she still didn't understand how Sam couldn't comprehend where she was coming from. She was doing what she was she was passionate about and she felt like he wasn't even happy for her anymore. She loved Sam. But she loved her job, too.

Going into their relationship, this had been her fear-that she would be forced to make a decision between what she loved and them; that she would be expected to give up parts of herself, for them. She didn't know if she wanted to do that.

She'd come to the conclusion that if that was something Sam wanted from the girl he was with, then maybe they shouldn't be together. She missed him so much and she hated the way things had ended, but she figured it was for the best.

During the past few days, Alicia and Mercedes had talked about everything except Sam. Each time they spoke though, she could feel that Alicia was holding back on something. The same was true now as they sat together at the table eating cereal.

"When's your next appointment?" Mercedes asked her.

"Next week," she answered and Mercedes nodded, smiling at the thought of her developing God child. "What?" Alicia questioned as she looked at her friend's grin.

"I was just thinking about little baby Alicia and Devon," she said. "It's crazy." she continued and Alicia chuckled.

"It is that," she breathed, with not another word leaving her mouth. Mercedes knew when Alicia didn't talk her ear off, something was going on. She also knew what it was, but she wasn't truly ready to talk about it yet.

"How'd it go telling your family last weekend?" she asked, trying to change the subject, suddenly realizing then that she and Alicia didn't talk as often as before since she'd gotten her internship.

"It was a mess," she chuckled out. "Pretty much only my mom and Cassie are talking to me right now," she sighed and Mercedes frowned.

"I'm sorry," she said genuinely and Alicia shrugged before falling silent again. It was starting to irritate Mercedes. She decided to just take the bullet. "Okay," she breathed. "Say what you wanna say."

Alicia's eyebrows furrowed. "Hmm?"

"Say it," Mercedes urged. "I know you have something to say about Sam and all that stuff so just say it." she told her. Alicia shrugged again.

"I just don't really understand what you're doing, 'Cedes." she admitted.

"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I mean," she paused. "Okay, I'm not trying to be a bitch-even though I could easily blame it on my hormones-but I just think you're being an idiot." she said. Mercedes scoffed. "The man _loves _you, Mercedes. You have to admit you've been blowing him off."

"No I haven't, I've been working."

"And what else?" Alicia asked, leaving Mercedes silent. "All I'm saying is, you vanished. It was expected for you guys to not be together as much anymore when you both started your internships but, from the outside looking in, it just seems like being away from him so much doesn't bother you at all."

"That's not true,"

"Well obviously he doesn't know that." Alicia retorted and Mercedes groaned.

"Why does everything have to be said?"

"It's not like you've _shown _it either, 'Cedes. He just wanted to spend time with you and when you had the choice of spending time with him or going off to be Tess' handbag at parties and things that you weren't even required to do, you _never _chose him. Can you imagine how that must feel? I mean, didn't you say something about his dad being a workaholic, too?" she went on.

"Why should I have to choose?" Mercedes replied, though she was stung by the comment about his father. She could imagine young Sam waiting up for his dad to come home or for him to show up at a baseball game or something.

_But I'm not his dad. _She thought.

"Why is this so hard for you to get?" Alicia fired back. "I understand you love your job, Mercedes. But I don't understand how you all of a sudden let it become the only thing you seem to value." she said and Mercedes was quiet, swirling the little cereal she had left around in her milk. "Devon and I heard everything. And I honestly don't see how it all ended up here."

"Me and you are two different people, Alicia. My dream is important to me. I'm not giving it up for him."

"He didn't _ask _you to. You don't even see it, so just forget it." she sighed as she moved to get up before changing her mind. "But let's be real here for a second. Sam is gorgeous. He's a great guy and the boy is good looking." Alicia continued.

"I know that," Mercedes snapped back.

"I know you know. You've told me yourself about how girls check him out even when you're together and I know he's complained to Devon about guys doing it to you, too. My point is, he loves you. But you can only push someone so far away until they're just _gone_. Don't forget he's got options just like you do." Alicia told her as she stood from the table, taking her bowl to the kitchen. "He _chose _to be with you, like you chose him. Don't keep this going unless you;re ready to see him choose someone else."

"If Sam wants to date other girls, maybe he should. I'm not gonna hold him back."Mercedes replied half-halfheartedly and Alicia groaned in annoyance.

"I didn't say he wanted to date other girls, Cedes. I'm just saying it's not like he's limited. He's with you because he loves you but people can move on. Especially when they feel like they have to." she told her as she grabbed the bag of Cheetos from the counter and headed for her room, mumbling under her breath; "I'm too tired for this/"

Mercedes had heard everything her friend said, but she didn't know if she agreed. She loved Sam, she did-but her future was important, too. She knew that she wasn't always required to do what Tessa asked, that she had the option say no. But she just wanted her job to be safe at all cost. She didn't want to risk what saying "no" to Tessa could bring. This internship was such an important opportunity. If love got in the way, love would have to wait.

She had a short shift today at work because Tessa had a photo shoot to go to, and she was surprisingly happy about that. But even in that little time, she threw herself into her work. She tried not to be alone with her thoughts for even a second as she worked, she didn't want to think about Sam-didn't want to think about if she'd made a mistake or how he was doing.

After work, she met up with a couple of her sorority sisters-Desiree and Lexi. They wanted her to go to a frat party with them on campus, and it hadn't been very hard to convince her. Things were bad with Sam and now even her best friend was upset with her about it. She needed to get out-out of the house, out of herself. She needed a drink.

Or thirty.

SAM'S POV

He didn't regret leaving.

He felt like she'd basically pushed him away. He missed her, but then he'd been missing her for weeks. There was something about this feeling now though that felt permanent. He honestly didn't know what would happen now-or where their relationship stood. But he also didn't know what to say to her. Nothing had changed about the way he felt about the situation. Ever since she'd started her internship, he'd become irrelevant. He'd been so happy for her in the beginning because he could tell that _she _was genuinely happy. And it wouldn't bother him that she didn't have as much time on her hands for them if it weren't for the fact that she continuously chose to do things she didn't _have _to do, instead of spending time with him. He loved her. But he didn't know if he could be with someone like that. He'd been _raised _by someone like that and he couldn't stand it. His father worked more than anyone he knew. As a kid, he rarely saw him. He'd leave early in the morning before anyone woke up, and come home after everyone was asleep. And he spent his days off in his office. After a heated argument between his parents about him not spending any time with his children, Samuel stormed out of the house. Moments after he left, his mother packed up some of Sarah's and Sam's stuff and checked them into a hotel. His father called her everyday after they left, trying to convince her to come back. But she refused. She refused for an entire week before he finally tracked them down. He came to the hotel, crying, begging, and pleading for them to come back. She forgave him and it wasn't until then that his father finally slowed down, took time off for them more often. There were still some occurrences when he got wrapped up in his work, though it never got that bad again. But Sam didn't want to fight that battle like his mother did, and he wouldn't.

"Sammy!" he heard Devon call from outside his room, knocking on his door a moment after. Sam had been in bed staring at his TV since he finished class. He didn't work on Thursdays so he had nothing else to do.

"Come in," he said, though the door was already opening.

"Come on, get up," Devon instructed, snatching the remote out of Sam's hand. "There's a party tonight, we're going to it."

"Don't you have a pregnant girlfriend to feed or something?" Sam asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, well _you _don't. And just 'cause I'm having a kid, doesn't mean I can't have a few drinks with you, dumbass. Get up." he said.

"God, you're having a kid. So weird." Sam mumbled as he sat up on his bed, moving to sit on the end of it and stretch his back.

"This room smells like depression and ass," Devon noted as he sniffed and Sam chuckled. "Gotta get you out of here. I'm sure there'll be plenty of distractions at the party so let's go." he said and Sam shook his head.

"I don't want any 'distractions'. I wanna be with Mercedes. Just her." he said. "Call me a pussy if you want." he shrugged and Devon chuckled.

"I'd be an idiot if I called you that, Sam." he told him. "So what are you gonna do?" he asked him, leaning on the wall behind him. Sam shrugged again.

"I don't know, man." he breathed, laying his face in his hands before moving them back to run them through his hair. "I want her to be happy and I wanna be one of the _reasons _she's happy, but it just kinda feels like I'm in the way of that now." he said. "I don't want her to choose me over her job or her dream. If it's important to her, it's important to me. But she's being taken advantage of there and she doesn't see it." he went on. "Even if she doesn't see it though, I dunno, I think our relationship should mean enough to her for her to just fucking slow down sometimes anyway." he continued, shaking his head. "She's told me herself, her boss loves her and she's got a hell of a lot more freedom than I have at my internship. Her boss wants her around all the time though and it's like she's just okay with it, even if it means I'm out of the picture." he said. "I knew this was gonna be crazy demanding for her. But I guess I didn't expect her to just _willingly _disappear." he sighed. "Am I a selfish dick?" he asked Devon and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"To be honest, I think we're both a little too damn sober for this conversation." he replied, making Sam laugh.

"Alright, alright. I'll go." he said. "Get out so I can get dressed."

"Hurry the hell up, we're already late," Devon said just as he exited, closing the door behind him.

Devon had been invited to the frat party by a classmate of his. It was the largest fraternity on campus, and therefore had the largest fraternity house. Yet there were still enough people there to fill it to capacity. Sam tried his best to relax. Devon sat on the wooden stairs and Sam leaned on the railing next to it as they sipped their beers. They'd decided not to talk anymore about Mercedes and instead, they conversed about Devon's quickly approaching new life.

"You think you're gonna miss this?" Sam asked. Devon shrugged as he took a sip of his beer.

"I might." he said. "Might not even have _time _to miss it," he laughed.

"You're about to have an actual human being," Sam said as he chuckled. "That just feels insane."

"It is insane," Devon replied. "I wonder if he's gonna be anything like me,"

"What, an asshole?" Sam retorted. Devon laughed sarcastically. "Of course it's gonna be like you, man. You made the thing." Sam said seriously.

"_He_," Devon corrected and Sam's brows furrowed.

"Has that been confirmed?"

"By who?"

"A doctor, idiot." Sam replied.

"No, but I'm betting on it." Devon said. "It's a boy." he declared and Sam laughed as he shook his head. "I just wonder who he's gonna be most like-what he's gonna be like in general. With me and Alicia's genes, who the hell knows." Devon rambled.

"If Mercedes and I ever had a kid, it would pretty much be destined to turn out crazy." Sam replied before he could he think. He hadn't meant to say it, but it seemed even when he wasn't thinking about her, he was.

"And difficult." Devon said. "Weirdest lips _ever_," he added, making Sam chuckle. The mood of their conversation had quickly shifted and Sam was sure Devon could feel it. "I'm gonna go get another drink," Devon told him and Sam nodded as his best friend walked away. He stood alone by the stairs, people watching and trying not think.

His heart stopped when he saw her.

Mercedes was there, with a couple of girls he recognized from the party where they'd first met. She looked beautiful. Her hair was curled, her lips painted red. She was dressed in a simple white shirt beneath a black leather blazer and dark jeans. She looked amazing. Sam had already missed her but seeing her so close now made him long for her even more. He watched her, laughing and talking with her friends, and he waited for her to make eye contact. When she finally did, he smiled after a moment and she smiled back weakly before turning back to her friends. He wanted to say something, but just as he started to move towards her, he was blind sided by a tall, blonde girl who he quickly recognized from his Macroeconomics class. She smiled when he looked at her. Standing in front of him, her eyes fell to his lips and then went quickly back up to his eyes again just before she spoke.

"You're Sam, right?"

MERCEDES' POV

Mercedes was tipsy. Her eyes were starting to get a little heavy, her skin warming. She was tipsy-=verging on drunk. But she knew wasn't crazy. Sam was there. He _really _was. She'd seen him as soon as he walked in.

She'd already been there for an hour and a half. As soon as she and her friends arrived, they headed straight for the bar. The three girls took two shots of vodka immediately and Mercedes felt it just as quickly. She could feel all her worries melting away as they all danced afterwards. She hadn't even realized how stressed out she was until she wasn't anymore. The thought that quickly followed that realization was that maybe if she'd just listened to Sam, and turned Tessa down every once in a while, he would've been able to _de-stress _her. She dispelled the thought as quickly as it arrived. She didn't want to think about work or Sam, or anything for that matter. She just wanted to feel okay.

But when he arrived, she became anything but okay. She'd been dancing when she saw him. He strode in, neither his hair nor his stubble groomed, wearing a simple hunter green Henley and jeans, laughing next to Devon as they headed for the bar. Her night turned upside down, all the sobriety she had left overtaking her as if every ounce of alcohol she had consumed had somehow fled from her blood.

About thirty minutes passed, they had all stopped dancing and were now sitting at a small table off to the side of the room. He still hadn't noticed her but she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. It was an odd feeling being in the same room as him and not saying a word to him. She missed him more than ever now. But she had a feeling that Devon had brought him out to that party as a way of distracting him, so she wouldn't get in the way.

"Girls, I think I'm gonna go," she told her friends. She hadn't even realized that they were having a conversation until she was interrupting Desiree as she spoke. The two girls looked at her in concern.

"Why? It's still early," Lexi said.

"You sick of us already?" Desiree asked and Mercedes chuckled, quickly constructing a lie in her head.

"Des, no." she replied through a smile. She meant to continue but just as she began, her eyes roamed to Sam again, leaning on the stairs. Only this time he was looking back at her. She swallowed hard at his blank expression. Then he smiled at her. And that was when she realized she hadn't been breathing. She smiled back, though her heart was pounding. She hadn't meant to be seen but damn if she wasn't happy to see his smile.

"Mercedes?" Lexi sang, bringing her back to earth. Her gaze turned quickly back to them, her eyes wide.

"Hmm?" she breathed.

"You were saying?" Desiree asked. Mercedes remembered then what the situation was-that she and Sam were not okay, and an exchanging of smiles wouldn't change that. She wasn't sure where they were as a couple, but he hadn't called or text. She figured that was for a reason.

"It's Thursday night," she told them. "I've got an early class tomorrow and I have to work so yeah. I need to take my ass home and pass ou-," her words were cut short when she suddenly cut her eyes to Sam and found him no longer alone, but in the presence of a clearly _friendly, _tanned, blonde girl. She stood at at least 5'11, her long body wrapped in a short black dress. Mercedes could see her intentions in the way her smile formed on her lips and the way she stood with her upper body leaned towards him a bit. Sam's arms were crossed upon his chest as she spoke to him and he nodded as he listened, laughing at something she said. Mercedes was irritated immediately=-by the girl, by Alicia's quickly resurfacing words from that morning, and by the jealously that tugged so hard at her core. She hated this feeling, but she mostly hated that she had no idea what to do about it. They hadn't broken up, but they certainly didn't seem to be _together _anymore. The absence of the _essence _of their relationship had already been bothering her but the idea of him being with someone else made her feel sick.

And her stomach dropped at the sight of him reaching his arm out and patting her comfortingly on the shoulder.

Suddenly she was storming out, her vision blurring with tears. She cursed herself for everything she was feeling. She knew that him patting the girl's shoulder meant nothing. But she couldn't see past her jealousy or her suddenly pounding headache. She made it halfway down the sidewalk before she froze at the sound his voice behind her.

"Mercedes!" he called. She turned to look at him, jogging towards her. "She was asking me if I could email her the notes from class today. She's failing." he quickly explained. "Come on, you don't actually think I would cheat on you, do you?" he asked her, looking down at her, his eyebrows pulled together. Mercedes sighed, her feet suddenly fascinating to her.

"No," she admitted, wiping her eyes before looking up at him. And a smile pulled at his lips that made her stomach twist into knots.

"So can we talk or is Tessa waiting for you around the corner?" he asked jokingly. A bolt of irritation shot through her immediately.

"I'm not her fucking pet, Sam." she said, turning away from him. He talked about her as if she'd become weak and spineless. And she hated that. She hated even more that he might be right.

"Well that was a joke, but are you sure?" he asked her, moving to stand tall in front of her, bringing her to a halt. "Could've fooled me," he said and she scoffed.

"I'm not gonna apologize for doing my job," she replied.

"Are you gonna apologize for treating our relationship like its non-existent?" he fired back.

"I don't see how I've done that," she replied and Sam laughed sarcastically.

"See you later, Mercedes." he said just as he turned to leave. He turned back a moment later, walking quickly back to her with purpose. "I love you, Mercedes." he told her and she chewed on her lip as she looked down, her eyes brimming with tears again. A silence stretched between them before she heard him sigh. "See you later," he said and then she watched his feet walk away.

Her heart shattered when she looked up and found that he was gone. Long gone was her irritation and need to defend herself and all that was left was pain. The conversation had been excruciating but just _seeing _him in general had been just as painful. She could recall a time not very long ago at all where her whole day could be brightened by his presence. It felt different now that everything had turned horrible. And as she walked back to her car, she stewed over his words. Had she really treated their relationship as if it it didn't exist? If she had, how could she have missed it? As she thought it all over, she couldn't deny that even during the little time she'd spent with Sam since she'd gotten her internship, her mind had mostly been somewhere else. But now as she drove to her apartment, tears streaming down her cheeks, she could hardly bare the thought of her job, let alone Sam.

Don't forget to send me your thoughts! :)


	20. Chapter 15

Honestly I couldn't even sleep without fixing this.

MERCEDES' POV

She'd gotten Friday night off again thanks to a last minute conference Tessa was required to go to. At around six at night though, she got a call from her asking that she pick up a few sketches from her office and review them over the weekend. She dreaded the thought of going to the office but she couldn't blow it off. When she arrived and began to ask the stylist for their sketches, there was an immediate buzz that surfaced. Words that she'd never dreamed of hearing.

"She's only here because Vince wants to fuck her," she heard one of them say quietly. Her eyes widened at the words, her skin suddenly itchy. And as if on cue, Vincent walked right through. She stopped him immediately, standing angrily in front of him and his eyebrows furrowed.

"What the hell are they talking about?" she demanded. Vincent rolled his eyes as if he immediately understood, pulling her into his office. Mercedes yanked her arm away from his as he shut the door behind him. "Let's get one thing straight," she began. "I did _not _get this internship because of _you_ and your swinging dick." she told him. "I work hard and I have all my life. Straighten this bullshit out!" she demanded, pointing towards the people outside the glass walls of his office who were very indiscreetly watching. Vincent was quiet as he stared at her, sitting on the edge of his desk, a crooked smirk on his lips. Mercedes' nostrils flared in anger and just as she opened her mouth to speak, he began.

"I have a girlfriend," he told her and Mercedes swallowed hard. "It's none of your business but I do." he said. "You know Shrivanni, right? Indian woman who brought you in?" he asked her as he stood, walking around his desk and pulling a drawer open. Mercedes nodded, watching him pick a small object up out of the drawer. "I'm gonna ask her to marry me." he announced, sliding the ring box discreetly across the desk towards Mercedes. She looked down at it, blinking, embarrassment suddenly falling over her.

"Vince, I'm sorr-,"

"Don't apologize." he interrupted her as he returned the box to the drawer. "It's my fault. I did sleep around a lot in the past. Not here but in general. I've been dragging this-for lack of better word-_manwhore _reputation around since I was in college. I created it and I fed it and now it's too big for me to hide." he admitted as he moved to sit at the edge of his desk again. "I slept with _one _employee here almost a decade ago." he said, holding up one finger for emphasis. "No one ever got over it. With every new person who got hired, the rumors spread. I never cared before until Shrivanni got hired. I really liked her, she hated me. We had love/hate sex, then we dated, and now I'm gonna marry her." he told her.

"Your sister obviously doesn't know that," Mercedes said.

"I don't tell my sister everything. If I did, she'd probably try to fire Shrivanni and I can't let that happen. Not until she gets this other job she's got lined up."

"Other job?" Mercedes asked.

"Shh," Vincent shushed. "She's up for a position at another company. A _better _position. Don't say a word." he said and Mercedes nodded. "So that's that, Mercedes Jones. My dick only swings in one woman's direction these days and it doesn't plan on being anywhere near you. Besides, I'm thirty-five years old, how old are you anyway, 19?" he asked her.

"Twent-,"

"-Too young for me," he interrupted and she chuckled lightly, suddenly becoming more comfortable. "I didn't insist that my sister hire you because I'm interested in you romantically. To be honest, Shrivanni asked me to. She saw something in you she liked-said something about you having a backbone or something." he shrugged. "Don't know if I'd vouch for that though," he said and Mercedes' eyebrows pulled together. "Mercedes, you're here _way _too often to be an intern." he told her and she looked away, crossing her arms on her chest. "Look, Tessa's my sister. And I love her to death but there's a reason she can't keep an intern _or _a personal assistant. I mean, why do you think the last one quit? He couldn't handle it, she bled him dry." he said. "Shivranni recommended you because she thought you could."

"Could what?"

"_Handle it_," he explained. "Tessa needs someone working under her who has _spine._ Someone who knows how to turn her down so _she _can take more responsibility. She knows fashion and she's great at it. But she's lazy. And she doesn't need another crutch." he said. "Shivranni thought she saw that in you. But if she was wrong, I suggest you cut your losses and quit now. Or you'll never love fashion again after this job." he told her. Mercedes nodded as she understood. It had taken hearing this from Tessa's brother to show her just how much of a crutch she'd been. She frowned as she thought of Sam. "I also suggest that you keep in mind that I'm still one of your bosses. I'll give you a pass this time but be a little more careful about how you speak to me."

"I'm sorry, Vincent. I just lost it. This is just really important to me." she told him sincerely and he nodded.

"I understand. I'll fix this bullshit. Now, get out of here and _enjoy _your weekend." he instructed her. She smiled and nodded as she turned for the door. "Promise?" he called behind her and she turned to meet his gaze, nodding again.

"Promise."

Mercedes made a spur of the moment decision and drove home to see her mother. She left a note for Alicia and then disappeared. It was nine at night when she arrived. What she loved most about surprise visiting her mom was that her mother was almost never surprised to see her. She'd smile when she opened the door, wrapping her in a hug and bringing her inside. She never asked why or when she was leaving. She only welcomed her.

Their house was still the same. Average size, the walls of the living room and dining room painted a chocolate brown and covered mostly in pictures of their family-even pictures of her dad. She never understood why her mother left them up.

After she ate the pasta salad that her mother had prepared hours earlier, she sat on the couch next to her and watched TV, the electric no-heat fireplace burning in front of them. She remembered how excited her mom had been about getting it a couple years earlier. Mercedes thought it was funny that her mother didn't understand just how pointless it would be when winter actually came around-or she just didn't care.

Some old romantic comedy played on the TV but Mercedes looked discreetly at her mom who seemed incredibly enthralled by it. The words slipped out before Mercedes could even consider them;

"Why don't you date, ma?" she asked. Denise's eyebrows quirked before she turned to look at her daughter.

"You serious, Mercedes?" she question as she chuckled.

"I'm pretty serious," Mercedes replied.

"I'm old, girl!" she said. Mercedes shook her head, her brows furrowed.

"You're only 49, ma. Women get married and have kids at your age." she replied, pulling another chuckle out of her mother.

"I don't need anymore kids. You were more than enough."

"Maybe not _kids_. But what would be wrong with having a man around again? Even if just for fun." Mercedes said. Denise was quiet for a moment and then she sighed.

"I tried for a month a while ago." she admitted. "It's exhausting," she breathed. Mercedes laughed as she nodded in agreement. There was one thought she and her mother shared. "I don't know, 'Cedes. It hasn't necessarily been great being single all this time but," she shrugged. "I'm used to it. Plus it's too hard trying to find the 'right' guy. I'm too old to be playing the field." she said.

"Okay, first off, you're _not _too old. And secondly, what about internet dating?" she asked, the thought suddenly dawning on her.

"Isn't that dangerous?" her mother asked.

"Millions of people do it, ma. Some of them even get married. Don't be so scary." she encouraged. "And at least this way, you'll know if you like the guy before you go on a date."

Denise sighed heavily before she fell silent. Mercedes figured she was thinking. The silence stretched between them before her mother finally spoke,

"Fine," she breathed and Mercedes jumped from the couch, racing to her bag.

"Let me get my laptop!" she said excitedly, her mother laughing behind her.

Mercedes raided her mother's closet, putting together a cute outfit for Denise to wear for her pictures on _Eharmony. _She did her make-up, dressed her up and spent almost an hour snapping pictures of her in in front of a blank wall in the hallway. Afterwards they sat together at the round glass dining room table and set up her profile.

"Should we put that I have a big butt?" her mother suddenly asked and Mercedes fingers froze in the air above her laptop keyboard.

"Are you trying to get a date or a _date_?" she questioned, her eyebrow lifting on the last word and Denise laughed.

"I was just joking, 'Cedes. Anyway I'm sure they can see it in the picture." she said and Mercedes closed her eyes and shook her head, wondering what exactly she'd just signed herself up for in doing this. "Why are you suddenly a matchmaker anyway?" Denise asked. Truthfully, Mercedes didn't know. She'd always wondered when her mother would move on but she never imagined that she'd be apart of the process. _One of us has to be happy, I guess. _She thought as she shrugged.

"Let's just see what happens," she said.

It was past midnight when they finished her profile. Mercedes lay in her mother's bed next to her in a comfortable silence before it was broken by Denise's voice.

"How are you and Sam?" she asked. The question made her heart wrench. She sighed as she thought of what to say, deciding quickly to be honest.

"We sort of broke up," she admitted. "Not officially but, yeah." she said. Her mother turned to her then, propping her head up on her elbow.

"What happened?" she asked as she yawned. She was clearly tired and besides that Mercedes wasn't sure if she wanted to discuss it.

"You should get some rest," she said. "We can talk about it later."

Her mother nodded, reaching out and rubbing her daughter's arm before resting her head back down on her pillow. Mercedes stayed up a half an hour longer, battling the thoughts of Sam that threatened to make her crumble. She missed sleeping with him. She missed his scent, she missed their bickering, his lips, his touch.

She missed _him_. But she didn't know what to do. So she prayed for sleep instead, and it came shortly afterwards.

When she woke the next morning, she washed her face and brushed her teeth before following the smell of pancakes and coffee to the kitchen. Her mother stood at the counter, her reading glasses on as she stared intently at her laptop, a smile playing on her lips. She didn't even notice that Mercedes was watching her.

"What are you doing?" Mercedes asked and Denise jumped immediately at the sound of her voice, pulling her glasses off and placing them on the counter.

"Oh, good morning sweetheart. I made you breakfast," she said and Mercedes nodded, her eyes falling on the small stack of pancakes on the griddle before returning to her flustered mother.

"I see that," she replied, slowly moving closer. "What's on the laptop?" she asked as she approached the coffee maker. Her favorite lavender mug was already next to it so she quickly filled it up. Her mother was quiet. "Still there?" Mercedes asked as she opened the refrigerator, pulling out the two percent milk.

"I may or may not have gotten a few messages this morning." her mother admitted. Mercedes eyes spread as she quickly placed the milk down on the counter, moving to stand next to her mom quickly.

"Oh my God, any good ones?" she asked, trying to look at the laptop. Her mother laughed as she moved the screen away.

"This is where the screen sharing ends," her mother said and Mercedes lips turned up incredulously.

"There are definitely some good ones," she guessed as she returned to her coffee.

"There's one that I've been talking to. His name's Dean. He seems nice so far and funny." her mother said.

"Got a pic?" Mercedes asked as she stirred the sugar and creamer into her coffee. She watched her mother click around on a few things before turning the screen to show her. The man on the picture was handsome; dark skin, brown eyes, and a cleanly shaven face that exposed his strong jaw line. His hair was cut to a fade but there was specks of gray in it nonetheless. Mercedes was impressed.

"_Nice_," she said. "Any plans for a date?" she asked as she picked up the plate of pancakes, her coffee, and two forks and headed for the dining room table. "Can you bring another plate and syrup?" she called back.

"No plans," her mother said as she joined her in the dining room, placing the plate and syrup on the table. "We just met today. I'm not trying to get too happy and end up on out on a date with some man with thirteen kids and thirteen baby mamas. I wanna get to know him more first." she said and Mercedes laughed, nodding as she understood. She poured syrup on her pancakes before cutting into them, smiling into the taste. Her mother had always added vanilla to her mix and Mercedes loved it. "Thanks for convincing me, baby." Denise said. "I'm actually having fun already." she continued through a grin.

"No problem." she shrugged. They ate in quiet for passing moments, an elephant that Mercedes wished she could pick up and throw out filling the room.

"Are you ready to talk about Sam now?" Denise finally asked. Mercedes sighed.

"Sure," she replied, putting her fork down.

"What happened?" she questioned.

"I started the internship I texted you about a few weeks ago. I had a lot less time on my hands and we started spending less time together. He didn't like it. Neither did I but I guess it was worse for him. He got mad and I guess decided it was just easier if we weren't together." she shrugged, knowing that wasn't the full story. She sighed as she thought deeply about him, and then it was like she was an open book. "I sort of got lost in it. I'll admit that." she shook her head. "This job was a dream come true to me and I guess it sort of felt like nothing else _should _matter more. I was living out a dream of mine and I just-,"

"You left him out of it," her mother finished for her.

"I didn't mean to." she said. "I just didn't wanna mess up this opportunity. So I took on more than I was necessarily required to-and our time together suffered because of it. It all felt great when it was happening though, like nothing was wrong. I loved what I was doing."

"And now?" her mother asked.

"Now it's different. It doesn't feel the same, nothing does."

"Because you're not together anymore?"

"I guess."

"So why don't you get back with him?" her mother asked. And Mercedes thought for a moment.

"Because I'm ashamed," she admitted. "But also because, despite the fact that I know I messed up, I still don't know if a _relationship _is for me. I still wanna work hard and make my dreams come true and I don't know if a relationship will allow me to do that. I guess I'm just too selfish." she said and her mother chuckled.

"You know, I knew there was something wrong as soon as I looked at you last night. You just looked different." she noted before continuing. "Mercedes, there's nothing wrong with you wanting to work hard and accomplish your dreams. And I highly doubt that Sam has asked you to give that up." Denise replied before she sighed. "I know I'm not the perfect role model for a working woman who can also balance love and men and whatever. But I can tell you from experience that there's nothing like being held my a man that you love. I know you know the feeling. I saw the way you were wrapped around that pillow this morning." she said and Mercedes eyes fell on her plate. "You don't need to give up on your dreams or quit your job, Mercedes. You can work hard and be successful and that's all great. But I hope you'll find a balance and that you won't devalue love for the sake of your job because you will regret it." she promised her. "You can't come home to your job at night and talk about how stressful your day was. And your job's not gonna hold you at night. Just keep that in mind." she advised. Mercedes listened to her mom. She already knew she was right before she even finished. But she still didn't know what the next step was.

"What do I do?" she asked her mother, feeling overwhelmingly hopeless.

"Do you want him back?"

"Of course," she replied quickly.

"Then just go say that." Denise instructed.

"I made him feel like garbage, ma. I don't know if that'll be enough."

"It will be." her mother assured her. "Mercedes, you're my daughter. And if I know you like I _know _I do, then I know you've been guarded with him. And cautious about your feelings. You don't need a big gesture, just _tell him _how you feel." she told her. "It'll be enough."

It wasn't long before Mercedes was saying goodbye to her mother and heading to campus. She'd tried to stick around and be functional with her mother for the rest of the weekend but she'd only made it another two hours after their conversation before Denise _insisted _that she leave, because she was only wasting time there anyway. She hugged her mother tightly, thanking her for her advice and wishing her luck with Dean and then she was gone.

She was deep in thought as she drove, wondering what she would say and what would happen-if he'd want her back. She recalled the night before when he'd told her loved her. If love didn't fade in a day, then maybe everything would work out.

She was there in two hours. She sat in the car for a moment longer than she'd intended, staring at herself in the mirror. She looked _tired _to say the least. Her curls had fallen from two nights before and her face was clear of any make-up. She couldn't find a reason to care when she was on the verge of losing Sam. She just needed to talk to him.

She stood at his front door, her heart pounding as her fist hovered over the door. A moment passed before she finally decided to make the connection between her fist and the door. But it swung open before she could.

SAM'S POV

He thought he'd heard something at the door.

He'd been sitting on the couch, trying to focus on the baseball game on the TV, but his mind hadn't left the aching thought of her since the night at the party. He was hurt more than anything that she still didn't seem to understand. He loved her and he'd made a point of telling her before he'd walked away because he meant it. But mostly because he hoped she would stop him. That she would realize how important their relationship was to him _and _to her-that she would fight for them. But she hadn't. And since then he'd mostly felt numb. He went throughout the day with little enthusiasm and people around him seemed to notice. They moved and spoke a little more cautiously around him-even his boss did at work on Friday. Sam didn't know if he liked it, but at least he didn't have to be bothered with anyone.

That Saturday he'd woken in the same mood. Devon had gone off with Alicia earlier that morning and Sam was enjoying being alone. The day had little to no hope for improvement or excitement, until he heard the sound of someone moving in front of his door. He ignored it at first, until a glimmer of hope sparked within him. And then he was racing to the door, opening it to find Mercedes standing behind it.

Her fist fell to her side when the door opened. Neither of them said a word for a while, only looked at each other. A weak smile pulled at her lips after a moment, just before it broke and her lips turned instead into a frown, tears quickly falling from her eyes. Sam's heart broke at the sight of her and he was relieved to know that he could _feel _again, even if he only felt pain. He grabbed her hand, pulling her inside and tightly into him, closing the door behind them. He wrapped himself around her, taking in her scent and her warmth as she sobbed into his chest. He'd missed her so much. He could hear her whispering the words _I'm sorry _over and over as she cried. He shook his head as he listened.

"Shh," he breathed, his hand cradling back of her head. She fell quiet almost suddenly, only small sniffles leaving her. Pullin away from him, her eyes met his. And when she finally spoke, Sam's heart stopped.

"I love you," she said, looking up at him, her eyes red and her cheeks wet. Sam's mouth fell open a bit, but not a word left it. He was surprised, but most of all he was happy; to the point of speechlessness. She smiled as she looked at him. "Did you hear me?" she asked and he nodded quickly.

"Holy shit, I heard you." he said and she laughed. "I love you." he finally returned. She smiled as she pressed herself into his chest again.

"I missed you so much." she almost cried. "I'm sorry I didn't see it before. I'm so sorr-," she stopped as she choked up and Sam's heart hurt. He couldn't bare to see her cry. He pulled away from her, his hand reaching beneath her chin and lifting her head so that she would look at him, tears falling almost endlessly down her cheek. She shook her head she looked at him, just before she tried to begin again. "I'm so sorr-,"

This time it was his lips that cut her off. He pressed them softly upon hers and his body felt as if it had come back to life immediately. He'd missed this, and it was clear she had too because it wasn't long before she moved her lips against his, a soft moan escaping her as their mouths opened. Her kiss was a remedy; every miserable thought and feeling he'd been trying not to feel had suddenly evaporated, leaving only the touch of her sweet, plump lips. But it wasn't long before he was craving more. He wanted to _feel _her. But most of all, he wanted the closeness that he'd gone without for much too long.

After he led her to the bedroom, she took it upon herself to remove the casual maxi gray dress she'd been wearing, tossing it to the side of them just before she sat down on the bed, moving to sit in the middle of it in her underwear. He slipped out of his white shirt and his sweatpants and then met her on the bed, his lips covering hers again. He laid her flat as they kissed, his hand resting softly on her cheek. He remembered the day at the airport when they'd kissed after being away from each other for a few days. This was a kiss of reunion as well. But there was something different about it this time. It wasn't hungry, it wasn't feverish. It was passionate, it was consuming. But mostly it just felt like _home._

He left kisses from her cheek down to her neck and shoulders, and she reached around to remove her bra. Once her breasts were free, he sucked and licked on each of her nipples. But it wasn't long before her lips were calling for him again. He loved the sounds she made when his mouth touched her breast, but nothing was more fulfilling than her kiss right then.

The build up was slow. There was little to no foreplay, only their lips moving against each others, their eyes closed. He'd been away from her for longer than he'd ever desire to be again. Now that she was there, he wanted to take his time and enjoy her.

So when he finally slid inside of her, he moved slowly, in and out, his eyes locked on hers the entire time. Her hands rested on either side of his cheeks as he slowly filled her over and over. Her face was purely serene, her eyes bright, her lips parted only slightly. Soon he could feel her everywhere, his whole being consumed by the feeling of her around him. He laid his face in the crook of her neck, feeling himself come apart above her as he inhaled her scent. And when she suddenly whispered,

"I love you,", her voice laced with the on spread of her orgasm, it was enough to push him over the edge. They climaxed in unison, their lips colliding with each others shortly after. He could feel that her cheeks were wet again as he kissed her and he pulled his lips away at the realization that she'd been crying. Slipping out of her, he fell to the side of her, leaning over to wipe her tears.

"Why are you still crying?" he asked her and she chuckled as she shook her head.

"I just can't believe I was almost stupid enough to let this go," she admitted and he frowned.

"You're not stupid, baby." he told her, kissing her forehead. "Fashion is important to you-it's your passion." he said. She sighed as she looked at him, her hand reaching up to massage through his hair.

"For what it's worth," she began, "I couldn't enjoy it without you." she said. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Good thing you can't get rid of me then," he said. And she giggled when he suddenly peppered her face with kisses all over, playfully trying to pull her face away from him. It meant the world to him to have her there, beautiful and laughing in his bed.

After he got cleaned up, he lay down next to her again, pulling her back and into him as close as he comfortably could. He'd missed her so much that just for tonight he wanted to _breathe _only her. He smiled when he felt her fingers moving up the arm he had wrapped around her, thinking to himself that life had an interesting way of unfolding. Earlier he'd been so far under the impression that it was all over that he hadn't even felt the need to _feel _anymore. Now he could feel a multitude of things; content, peaceful, blessed, loved, and _happy. _Things weren't perfect but they didn't feel far from it. And he still had so much life left to live.

So glad that's over. ^.^ Send your thoughts!


	21. Chapter 16: Someday

MERCEDES' POV

_When the sun rose the next morning, Mercedes didn't feel the happiness she'd imagined she would. Instead, she felt heavy. And as she looked to the right of her, finding nothing but the space where Sam was supposed to be, she felt alone as well. She stood to her feet but as caught off guard when she almost doubled over, the heaviness pulling her down._

_Something was different. She could feel it, but she couldn't see it just yet. It wasn't until she was standing before the full length mirror of this suddenly unfamiliar bedroom she was in, that she saw her fully rounded and pregnant stomach. She was confused but mostly terrified because where was Sam? She could see a few of his things lying around, but as she walked through the surprisingly large house, she couldn't find him. It wasn't until she walked into the bedroom again, sitting hopelessly at the end of the bed, that she noticed a door that she somehow knew to be the closet was cracked open. She approached, opening it and finding immediately that a lot of his things had been thrown around. But mostly she noticed that some of his things were missing. One big thing most importantly; his suitcase. She fell to the ground inside the closet, tears suddenly streaming down her face and soft sobs escaping her. He'd left her._

_He was gone._

Mercedes woke from the dream with a mixture of sweat and tears dampening her face. She could feel Sam wrapped tightly around her. But it wasn't relief that settled over-instead it was that same heaviness from the dream. She peeled herself away from him, entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Sitting on the side of the tub, she began to cry immediately. Last night had been amazing. They'd rekindled, made love, and held each other closer than ever throughout the night. Nothing had ever felt better. But the dream had felt all too real-too familiar, too _possible_. Suddenly Mercedes understood the heaviness she felt. It was a fear of his abandonment-a weight that she hadn't even known she was carrying until it threatened to drag her down.

Her crying came to a halt at the sound of him moving outside. She'd thought she'd been quiet but she should have known he would come looking for her the moment he realized she wasn't next to him anymore. She didn't know what seeing him would spark in her-anger or more fear? She wasn't sure, but she didn't know if she was prepared to find out just yet tried to stay quiet, hoping that her silence would make him figure she just needed to use the restroom. But she'd been wrong.

A soft knock came to the door.

"You alright?" he called, his voice clearly still lined with drowsiness."

"I'm fine," she said, and she might as well had not even lied. Her voice was thick with tears and she was sure he'd heard it. The door opened slowly, with his head peaking in, and looking at him set off a world of pain in her mind.

"Baby, why are you crying?" he asked, his voice suddenly alert as he stood in front of her.

"I had a nightmare," she admitted. "I had a nightmare like a seven year old and I couldn't go back to sleep.

"What happened in it?" he questioned. And she wanted to say it all, but her throat felt as if it was blocked, the dream strangling her until she couldn't speak. It wasn't until he knelt down, his hand resting softly on her cheek that she felt free again. "Tell me," he pleaded softly. And then the words were falling out of her.

"I was pregnant. And _huge_." she said, and his eyes widened. "By you," she added, amused by the way it seemed he suddenly started to breathe again at those words.  
"Is that really so terrifying?" he asked and she shook her head as the tears fell again. Sitting down in front of her, he looked concernedly at her wet face.

"You weren't there," she finally said. "You left me alone in a house that I guess was ours. I saw your suitcase was gone, your stuff was thrown all over the place. You left." she told him. His brows furrowed.

"I would never do that to you," he replied.

"Are you sure?" she fired back quickly, and Sam's head dropped, undoubtedly remembering the _two_ times he'd walked away from her in the past few days. "I'm so fucking stupid," he suddenly whispered to himself, his hand rubbing over his face before falling to the side of him again. "My dad told me-he warned me and I didn't fucking listen." he said, the words still seemingly only meant for him. As much as his leaving had hurt, it hurt her to see him beating himself up, too. "I'm so sorry, Mercedes." he told her looking up at her. "I was just frustrated and hurt and-"

"_Sam_," she suddenly interrupted him. "I understand all of that, I _do_. And I know the part I played in this. But let's not talk about any excuses right now."  
Sam's head dropped low again.

"You're right, no excuses." he said, before chuckling quietly. "If I'd just stayed we could've probably figured this out sooner."

"Probably not," Mercedes said through a small laugh. "It took a few people besides you to help me understand what I was doing," she continued and he nodded. "But Sam, that _dream_," she began again. "It felt like I was watching my future with you happen."

"Mercedes, I would never leave you like that," he promised her again. "But it's my dumbass fault that you think I would-_goddammit_," he swore, standing forcefully off the ground, his arms wrapped around himself as he stood before her. He was quiet for a moment and Mercedes honestly didn't know what to say either.

"What did you father warn you about?" she asked, suddenly curious. Sam sighed as he looked at her again.

_This_," he said simply. "He warned me that leaving you when I was angry or whatever would change the way you see me, I can't believe I screwed this up." he went on, his eyes low.

"Sam, it's not over yet." she said, suddenly bothered by the hopelessness in his voice. He looked at her again and she sighed. "I know I'm stubborn and hard to talk to sometimes," she began. "But I just need to know that you won't leave and disappear just because I didn't say the right thing or what _you_ wanted me to say."

"I won't, Mercedes," he told her. "But if you don't believe me," he shook his head as he trailed off. "How long do you think we'll last if you don't trust that I will stay with you?" he asked her, and she was quiet. She didn't know if she'd completely lost that trust, but she definitely felt that it had wilted. Sam suddenly moved near to her again, sitting next to her on the edge of the tub and breaking the silence between them. "Mercedes, I know that I did this and I know that it's not something you can just forget about. But I-I don't wanna let this go."

"Neither do I," she shrugged. "What are we gonna do?" she asked him. "I just don't wanna feel like I'm afraid with you."

"I know," he nodded. "Just give me time," he requested. "Give _us_ more time together and I'll show you that I'm _here_. I'm not gonna leave you. I'm not." he promised her. She smiled as she listened to him, the words soothing her.

"I can give us time," she said, her hand resting on his on the porcelain edge of the tub as they looked at each other. His lips pressed softly against hers for not a moment too long before he pulled back.

"Can I ask you for something else?" he wondered and she nodded as her eyes opened slowly, still lost in the touch of his lips. "Don't close up on me again," he begged her. She was alert then, her eyes on his as she listened. "Sometimes you get so guarded and defensive that you just lock up and I can't reach you anymore. We need to be able to talk to each other." he said. "Just stay _here,_ in this with me, alright?" he asked.

She couldn't disagree with what he'd said. Mercedes knew herself and she knew the description of _guarded_ and _defensive_ Fit her perfectly at times. Being with Sam had knocked those walls down for the most part but sometimes her pride still got in the way. She was quickly learning though that pride meant nothing when it came to love. She nodded as she smiled at him.

"Alright," she agreed, and he grinned, leaving a lingering kiss on her lips. And then suddenly he sat down in the dry tub, taking her hand and moving her to sit her in between his long legs. He buried his face deep into her neck, his arms wrapped around her and Mercedes relaxed into his touch.

"We're gonna get this right someday," he said and she laughed, her hand reaching up and landing on his cheek. She realized then that it didn't matter if they got it all right tomorrow, next month or next year-as long as she had a future with the man who sat behind her; because just being with him felt more _right_ than anything in her life ever had. She turned her head up to kiss the bottom of his chin softly before blissfully whispering,

"_Someday."_


	22. Chapter 17 Vacation Part I

SAM'S POV

Two months had passed. The semester had come to a successful end and now summer break had begun. Within those two months, Sam had fallen impossibly more in love with her. She'd learned to balance her time between work and everything else and since then they'd been nearly inseparable. He slept over most nights and they cuddled like it was their day job. He loved sleeping with her no matter which way-some nights he'd sleep with his arms wrapped around her, his nose nuzzling her shoulder or neck, and some nights they'd sleep with her head on his chest, her thigh thrown over his legs. Where they were when they woke up was completely unpredictable. But it didn't matter to him-though he did have a weakness for her thighs being in contact with him in any scenario. What mattered most to him though was having her near, her sweet scent surrounding him, and being able to wake up next to her every morning. Even still, they'd gotten into arguments and disagreements about silly things every once in a while, but Sam had learned not to leave, but to stay instead for incredibly satisfying make-up sex.

* * *

With the beginning of summer came Sam's birthday and the group of friends had a special weekend planned. After Alicia won two tickets for a 3-day cruise to nowhere on the radio, she'd suggested that Mercedes and Sam get tickets to tag along and make a celebration out of it. Now they were all together waiting to board the ship.

"You sure they're gonna let you on here?" Devon asked Alicia, looking down at her growing stomach.

"Yeah, are they gonna make you sign a contract saying they're not responsible for you going into labor or something?" Sam asked half seriously and Mercedes chuckled as she pinched his side, and he winced, moving away and swatting at her hand playfully before pulling her back into him and dropping a kiss on her curly head.

"I'm five months pregnant, geniuses. Got a solid four months left and about thirty more pounds to gain," Alicia said.

"_Thirty_?" Devon exclaimed jokingly. Alicia jumped at him and he flinched as he laughed.

"Hopefully most of it goes to my butt," she said and Mercedes groaned.

"How many times do we have to talk about this Alicia? Your ass is fine-you have a perfectly good butt." she told her. Sam's eyebrows rose as he looked at Devon before looking back down to Mercedes.

"How many times _have _you guys talked about this?" he asked. Devon laughed as Mercedes and Alicia shook their heads.

"Why do we ever hang out with them _together_?" Alicia wondered and Mercedes only sighed as she shook her head.

"You do have a good booty though," Devon said to Alicia, making the group burst into laughter as Alicia jumped at him again. He flinched once more, mumbling something about her being abusive. The couple turned around as they moved forward in line, leaning into each other and Sam smiled as he watched them. He was caught off guard though when he suddenly felt Mercedes' fingers intertwine with his. Looking down at her, he found her gazing straight ahead. He tugged at her hand and she looked up at him, a smile immediately forming on her lips. He smiled back, his gaze moving slowly to her lips before returning back to her eyes. Giving in to the urge, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer and leaning down to kiss her for a little longer than the people around them probably appreciated, but he didn't care. He often had moments where he would look at her and no matter where they were, everything else around them would disappear, leaving only her and the way he felt about her. And in those moments, his desire to touch her in some way would become almost overwhelming until he succumbed. It was in those small moments that he knew he loved her most; when he became so completely enamored with her that nothing else mattered, not where they were, what she was doing, what she was wearing-_nothing_ mattered.

When he let her go, she opened her eyes slowly, a small smile pulling at her plump just-kissed lips.

"So what do you want for your birthday?" she asked him, intertwining her fingers with his hand that rest off of her shoulders. He shrugged.

"Just to be with you guys." he said, his eyebrow twitching just as the thought of _birthday sex _crossed his mind. He shrugged again as he looked down at her. "And also probably your ass on top of me," he admitted quietly and her mouth fell open as she looked around for witnesses, simultaneously slapping him playfully on the arm, a short laugh finally escaping her. "No big deal," he said through a chuckle, and she only shook her head as she looked at him. He winked, making her laugh as she looked away.

"Trouble, trouble, trouble," she muttered.

The ship was beautiful from the outside but the inside of it was breathtaking and huge. It was extravagant, yet youthful. The floors were glossy, the linings of the walls seemed to be illuminated with neon purple lights and all around there were stairs leading to different parts of the ship. The rooms were simple-a large bed with plain sheets, the walls decorated with hotel-like paintings and plants. It had a dresser, a few small glasses, and a bathroom. After the couples checked into their separate rooms, they walked around the ship for a while. They found endless sources of entertainment from stage shows to a theater, live music, comedy shows, mini golf, an art gallery, a night club, a game show, and various bars and restaurants. The possibilities literally seemed endless and by the time they finished touring the giant ship, it was time for dinner. They all went back to their rooms and changed out of the sweaty clothes and then headed to casual dining area.

"Have you guys come up with any names?" Mercedes asked as they ate.

"What about Samuel?" Sam suggested, and Mercedes closed her eyes as she shook her head, while Alicia stared blankly at him before replying,

"Sam, it's a girl."

"So?" Sam and Devon replied in unison, and she sighed.

"I was thinking Avery," Alicia said.

"And I was thinking Devon Jr." Devon mumbled and Sam laughed at his friends desperate desire for a boy. They talked extensively about their plans for the weekend and all the things they could do but were abruptly interrupted when a woman on the stage in the front of the restaurant suddenly began to speak through a mic. It was karaoke night on the cruise and before anyone could question him, Devon was volunteering. He walked enthusiastically up to the stage as the woman welcomed him and Sam wondered if he had already gotten started on the several bottles of vodka they'd sneaked onto the ship for tomorrow.

"What is he doing?" Mercedes asked through a laugh.

"I have no idea," Sam said.

"He does this," Alicia told them. "He's terrible at it. And yet," she gestured to him as the music for _Poison _began to play. Devon was ridiculously off key but his stage presence was entertaining. The crowd all laughed and clapped as they watched him. Alicia shook her head as he moved towards her, pointing at her just as he sang "never trust a big butt and a smile," and they all burst into laughter.

"Relax, he's talking about me," Sam said to Alicia and she sucked her teeth before she chuckled. When Devon finished, he flopped back down at the table, kissing Alicia suddenly on the lips before gulping down his glass of water

"That was horrible," Mercedes laughed.

"Yeah, keep the vet dream alive, bud. Singing's not in your future." Sam said.

"You're just mad 'cause I didn't sing to _you_," Devon chuckled. "It's okay babe, I got you next time," he joked, and the girls only shook their heads.

It was around 10:45 at night when they made the sudden decision to go swimming. They all changed into the swim suits and met at the adult pool-after Mercedes finally got Sam to stop trying to take hers back off of her.

The pool was deserted when they got there.

"The water is _freezing_," Mercedes said as she dipped her toes in.

"I don't know if I can do cold water, I don't want anything to happen to the baby. The doctor said it was okay to swim but I don't know, if the waters too cold-," Alicia rambled on as she moved to lay down on one of the chairs, she was interrupted though when Devon suddenly ran past her and jumped right into the water. He came up screaming and cursing as everyone else laughed.

"Laugh all you want but I bet I'll be warm before any of you suckers," he said.

"I'm jumping in," Mercedes told them, looking at Sam. "You comin'?" she asked and his eyes widened.

"Uh," he hesitated. She was gone before he could continue. When she came up she was shivering and laughing. They all looked at Sam then.

"Your turn," she said.

"Hmm?" he replied in fake confusion.

"Get in!" Devon yelled.

"I will, I will. I'm comin'." he told them as he scratched his head.

"Yeah, right." Devon said and Mercedes shook her head.

"You guys _actually _think I'm not gonna get in?" he asked them.  
"I think you _might _be full of shit," Devon replied.  
"I second that," Mercedes added. And while Sam really had no interest in freezing his ass off in this water, he couldn't back down from a challenge. So when they weren't looking, he ran full speed and jumped in right in between them, splashing them both simultaneously.

"Holy shit!" he swore as he came up, his bones chilling. "How can you even feel your balls?" he asked Devon.

"I can't!" Devon replied as they laughed.

"You guys know this is a _heated _pool, right?" Alicia suddenly asked, and they all turned to look at her, reading the sign above her that she was pointing at. "You could've just turned the temperature up," she told them, gesturing to the thermostat on the wall. They all stared blankly at it for a moment before Devon rushed out of the pool and jetted to it, turning the temperature to its highest degree. Alicia got in then and they all had a blast, splashing around and competing over who could hold their breath the longest.

Alicia got tired soon after and she and Devon left early, leaving Mercedes and Sam alone together. They stayed in the pool a bit longer and she spent the majority of the time laughing and running from him as he tried to pick her up and slam her. Afterwards she wrapped herself in a towel and he tried to ring out his wet shirt before deciding to just walk shirtless back to the room.

"Truth or dare?" he suddenly asked as they walked.

"Are we doing this?" Mercedes replied.

"We are. Pick one."

"Okay, truth."

"Hmm, okay," he cocked his head as he thought. "Did you think I was cute when you saw me the first time?" he asked her.

"What happens if I lie?" she asked.

"I get to throw you off the side of this ship," he joked and she laughed.

"I thought you were pretty cute," she admitted.

"So why'd you reject me?"

"Is this something you've actually spent time thinking about after all this time? Like do you just lay in bed at night thinking about it-,"

"Yes. Yes, I do." he chuckled out.

"Too bad it's not your turn anymore. Truth or dare?"

"So now you're playing?" he said and she nodded.

"Pick one,"

"Hmm, truth."

"What was your first impression when you saw me?" she asked him. He smiled as he thought.

"That you were a terrible dancer," he joked and she laughed.

"You're a damn lie, are you trying to get thrown over board?" she replied.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled. "To be honest I don't think I could see anything past that red dress you were wearing, you looked-," he trailed off as he remembered, shaking his head while she smiled. "My turn. So why'd you reject me?" he asked her again, genuinely curious.

"What if I wanted to choose dare?" she retorted.

"Just answer the question," he said. "Was it because I was white?"

"Sam, you're _still _white," she giggled as they got on the elevator and he pressed the button for the eighth floor.

"Yeah, but now you _know _me. I'm not just the white guy at the bar with really good lips," he explained and she shook her head as she smiled. "So?" he urged.

"I don't know, dating just sucked and the men I generally dated did, too so," she shrugged.

"So it's a good thing we never actually dated before I got you wrapped around my finger," he said and her mouth fell open.

"_Excuse me_, I _had _you on the first night; you don't think I felt you looking at my booty while I walked into my apartment?" she debated and he laughed.

"That's not a fair assessment," he replied as he unlocked the door to their room.

"Why not?"

"Because how could I _not _stare at your booty?" he asked rhetorically, making her chuckle as she dropped her towel on the floor. His eyes fell on the clock on the dresser and he smiled. It was midnight. "It's officially my birthday. I'm officially out of the 'teens'." he announced.

"I'm officially not a cradle robber anymore," she replied and he rolled his eyes as he smirked. She tipped her head up a bit, signaling that she wanted to kiss him and he leaned in, smiling into the kiss. It ended only shortly after it began though when Sam's phone went off on top of the dresser. He shook his head as he pulled away.

"My sister just texted me," he told her. "She always has to be the first to say _happy birthday_, it never fails." he explained.

"Aww," Mercedes smiled.

"Yeah, she has a boyfriend now," Sam said and Mercedes' eyes narrowed.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing I guess, I just can't not think about _him _when I think about her."

"What does that mean? She's still her own person," Mercedes said. Sam sucked his teeth as he looked at her.

"I know that. Are you really gonna argue with me on my birthday?"

"Are you gonna talk bullshit on your birthday?" she fired back and he laughed as he suddenly bent to pick her up, her legs wrapping around his him as she giggled. He laid her softly on the bed, his lips tugging at hers immediately.

"The bed-," she said. "Our clothes are wet."

"We'll have to take them off then," he replied, just before he went to remove her bathing suit. She stopped him abruptly though and confusion shadowed his face.

"It's _your _birthday, right?" she asked and he nodded, still confused. And then in a quick motion, she flipped them over so that he was on the bottom, and she was straddling him. She moved slowly, taking off her black bathing suit top and throwing it on the ground next to them, her eyes never leaving his. She was clearly putting on a show. He bit his bottom lip as he watched her. Leaning forward on her knees in between his legs, she took his hands and placed them at the top of her high waist bottom and he responded quickly, leaning up a bit so that their lips were almost touching as he slowly pulled her bottom down. After the closeness became too much, he closed the small space between their lips as she used her feet to kick her bottom all the way off and onto the floor and she moaned as his large hands grabbed at her luscious ass. She pulled away suddenly, softly pressing her fingers against his chest to lay him flat again. His skin chilled and warmed all at once as she began to kiss down his neck and his chest. She took her time getting there but when she finally reached the lines that lead to his erection, she kissed them too as her fingers wrapped around the top of his swimming trucks, pulling them down slowly. Moments later, he sprung free, hard and aching. Her tongue ran up his length and he sucked cold air in between gritted teeth when her lips wrapped around him, moving down gradually. Her warm mouth moved up and down his erection, pulling quiet groans out of him as his body tingled. He loved the way her lips looked wrapped around him and damn if she didn't know how to use them. He frowned when she stopped abruptly, but his disappointment vanished when she suddenly turned around on top of him, taking his length into her hand and positioning it before sliding down onto him, moaning as he filled her. He groaned as the feel of her surrounding him, and he silently thanked the heavens that she'd decided to get on birth control. Sex was always amazing with Mercedes, but when there was nothing in between them, it was beyond words.

She knew exactly what he liked. She arched her back in, her legs bent at the knee and open as she bounced on top of him. The sensation was almost too much-and watching the way her ass moved only intensified it all. She moaned when his hands reached up and squeezed it as she moved. Every once in a while she'd slide slowly all the way down, pushing him deep into her before rising back up, whimpering as she did so. And when she suddenly stopped, gliding up and stopping just on the sensitive tip to bounce on it, he held his breath until he couldn't anymore, until he was panting.

"_Fuck_," he groaned as came and Mercedes collapsed in front of him, moaning as she climaxed. "Hands down," he began, "-best birthday ever," he said and she laughed. They took a shower that lasted much longer than necessary because he couldn't keep his hands or his lips off of her. Afterwards they lay in bed wrapped around each other when Mercedes suddenly groaned.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Can't sleep, too nauseous." she explained.

"Oh come on, you can't get pregnant that fast," he said and she chuckled as she slapped his chest playfully.

"I meant motion sickness," she said.

"_Oh_," Sam replied, nodding as he understood. "Maybe you just need a distraction," he told her, just before he crashed his lips into hers. He kissed her softly, all the while his hand moved in gentle circles on her stomach. She didn't complain for the rest of the night, and soon she was lost in a peaceful slumber.

Heads up, this was not a hint in _any _way of being pregnant. She's not. Just putting that out there. Send your thoughts! :)


	23. Chapter 17 Vacation Part II

A/N: I didn't realize I didn't actually _say _that Sam and Devon live with Alicia and Mercedes for now. I had it in my notes to mention it but still somehow left it out. So yeah, they're all roommates now for the summer, FYI. :) Also for some reason when I upload my files to here, document has less words than it does in my Word. It's really irritating but I can't help it. So if any words are missing, that's why.

MERCEDES' POV

The next late afternoon they were woken up by the abrupt sound of someone knocking on the door. Sam jumped up first and Mercedes followed shortly after. He walked to the door as she sat at the edge of the bed, leaning forward to see who it was.

"Open the damn door!" she suddenly heard a familiar voice yell from behind it, the door knob twisting from the other side. She knew who it was before Sam even opened it.

"I don't think you actually understand the concept of a locked door," Sam told Devon as he and Alicia walked in. "Means you can't come in." Sam explained.

"I'm sorry, man, did we come too early? We're ya'll still sleeping?" Devon asked sarcastically.

"Yes, _leave_." Sam replied half seriously and Devon chuckled.

* * *

"What's up with birthday-zilla over here?" he asked Mercedes, his thumb pointed towards Sam. She chuckled as Alicia sat next to her on the bed, her hand massaging against her lower back as she groaned.

"What's wrong, mama?" Mercedes asked her.

"My back is _killing _me," she explained. "Pregnancy hurts, don't do it, ok? Not yet." her best friend advised her and Mercedes nodded quickly.

"Trust me, if that little girl is anything like that man over there," Mercedes said, gesturing to Devon as he and Sam talked, "we're _all _gonna have some trouble on our hands," she continued and not a moment passed before Devon chimed in.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing, Devon," Mercedes laughed.

"Mind your business, boy." Alicia said and he sucked his teeth as he returned his attention to Sam.

"Isn't there a spa on board? I think I remember us seeing one." Mercedes wondered, grabbing the brochure on the end table. She flipped it open and looked through it as Alicia waited hopefully next to her. "Yep, look, it's on the second floor," Mercedes said as she found it and Alicia let out a big huff.

"Thank, God. Let's go, _please, _let's go." Alicia pleaded.

"Go where?" Sam asked as Mercedes moved to look through her bag for something to wear.

"The spa." Mercedes said, taking out a pair of jeans and a mint green sleeveless chiffon shirt.

"You two comin'?" Alicia asked and Devon shook his head quickly. "_Oh _, I forgot-you can just massage each other," she quipped and Mercedes laughed.

"Ha-ha," Sam laughed sarcastically. "We're gonna check out the casino." he said and Alicia scowled at Devon immediately.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna gamble with my money-we're gambling with Sam's."

He assured her, avoiding Sam's instant glare. Mercedes shook her head as she listened in before heading towards the bathroom.

"I'm gonna go get dressed."

The group ate a quick brunch together and afterwards they went their separate ways. Alicia sighed in relief as she lay on her side on the massage table, the masseuse hands moving against her back. Mercedes was on the table next to her, lying on her stomach, her eyes closed as her own masseuse worked miracles on her calves.

"I need you to teach my boyfriend some things," Alicia told her masseuse and Mercedes and the two women chuckled.

"Oh lord, did he try to give you a massage last night?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes, girl-tried and failed. He was pressing on all the wrong spots, it just got worse," she laughed.

"Well obviously he pressed somethin' in the right spot, otherwise you wouldn't be laying on your side right now," Mercedes joked. Alicia's mouth fell open before another laugh escaped her and the woman above her snorted.

"_Rude_," she said, making Mercedes chuckle.

"I'm just sayin'." she breathed. "How did this happen though, 'Licia? You're the safest person I know, every time I walk out of the the apartment and come back I find more condoms in my dresser that _you _put in there. What happened?" Mercedes asked, suddenly curious. Alicia sighed. And then it was as if they both forgot the masseuse were there as they dove into conversation.

"I messed around and forgot to take my birth control and then I slept with him in his car with no rubber." she admitted, sighing again. "I was stressed out like crazy-remember when I had all that trig work to do and the shadowing at the elementary school down the street?" she asked and Mercedes nodded. "I guess it just slipped my mind to take them-and it slipped my mind that I hadn't taken them when we were in his car. I just wanted to relax. And he _knows _how to relax me." Alicia said and Mercedes chuckled quietly. "You and Sam _use _the condoms I give you, right?" Alicia suddenly asked.

"Most of the time," she replied.

"Except for?" Alicia wondered.

"Except for special occasions," Mercedes said and Alicia's eyebrow's furrowed.

"Like what?" she asked, and Mercedes was quiet, remembering the night before. "Like birthdays?" Alicia guessed, leaving Mercedes quiet again. Alicia burst into laughter. "No wonder ya'll were still sleeping when we got there." she said.

"It was a gift," Mercedes chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." she replied. "I'm just glad you guys are together again. I swear when you guys broke up, me and Devon talked about your relationship more than _ours_," she said and Mercedes smirked. "So you guys are good? No more interruptions and stuff?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mercedes said. "Yeah, we're good." she told her. Ever since she and her boss had talked about the situation, everything had gotten progressively better. She sighed as she remembered the day. She and Sam had been finishing up their dinner at _Little Italy _when she got a phone call from Tessa. Sam sighed at the sound of her designated ring tone. She needed Mercedes to pick up the copies of the photographs from the shoot they'd hade done a couple of weeks before from the photographer's office, and bring them to _Zest_. As she listened, Mercedes decided then that it was time she said something. She watched Sam's eyes widen as she agreed to bring them to the office just before she hung up.

"This is a joke, right? You're actually gonna go?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said, "And you're coming with me."

As he drove, Mercedes explained that she was going to speak up once and for all and Sam was overjoyed, trying to help her decide how to approach it.

"I'm probably gonna come back jobless so you better be ready to cheer me up," she told him, leaning in through the passenger's seat car window after they'd parked in front of _Zest_. He leaned forward, pressing three soft kisses against her lips. She smiled as their foreheads rested against each others, his hand on her cheek.

"You're not gonna lose your job but trust me I'll be ready for you either way," he said, and she chuckled. He kissed her once more and then she headed for the building.

Mercedes could hear Tessa laughing and talking on the phone the moment she stepped off of the elevator. She walked into her office to find her lounging on her chair, her head falling back in laughter. When she saw Mercedes, she pointed to the table, signaling for her to place them on it before returning to her phone call. When she'd called her, she'd made it seem as if she was swamped and didn't have _time _to pick them up herself. Mercedes' nostrils flared as she looked at her. She waved her hand, trying to get her 's eyebrows rose in question when she finally noticed her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. Her boss' eyebrows furrowed before she spoke briefly to the person on the phone, telling them she'd call them back.

"What is it?" she wondered. Despite everything she and Sam had talked about, she didn't know exactly how to say what she needed to say. Butterflies quickly flooded her stomach and she thought shortly about backing out of it, but the thought of Sam downstairs, waiting for her, combined with everything Vincent had told her, kept her motivated.

"Tessa, I don't think I should be on call anymore." she said. Tessa's eyes narrowed immediately.

"What makes you think that's your decision?" she asked as she stood from the couch. Mercedes swallowed as she chose her next words carefully, Tessa was already on edge.

"I just-I know I'm your intern but I also," she stumbled. "I just can't-it just feels like I also do a lot of _your _work for you, too." she said, and Tessa's neck snapped back. "Tessa, I'm glad to be working for you, you're a great person and you're great at what you do. But I'm here to learn from you as well as work. And I just don't know how I am ever gonna learn if you don't _teach _me instead of-,"

"Instead of what?" Tessa chimed in. Mercedes shrugged.

"For lack of a better word-_using _me." she said, squinting one of her eyes in preparation for the wrath she just _knew _Tessa was about to bring down on her. Her boss was quiet for a moment too long as she sat back down on the couch. She sighed. And it took Mercedes by surprise when she suddenly patted the space next to her on the sofa. She sat cautiously next to her, her thoughts racing as she tried to guess what she might say.

"Thank you for telling me," she said finally, and Mercedes eyes widened. "Well thank you for telling me _now._" she corrected. "My last intern said much of the same thing in much harsher words-the word _bitch _was thrown around multiple times-right before he quit." she told her. She shrugged. "I figured he just couldn't handle it," she sighed. "But watching you work, Mercedes-" she paused as she shook her head. "-you work so hard and quite frankly it makes me feel ashamed of myself sometimes. I've been meaning to tell you that." she said. "I wish I had that kind of work ethic,"

"You can," Mercedes told her and Tessa chuckled.

"I guess we can just learn from each other," she retorted after a brief silence. Mercedes nodded as she smiled, finally calm. "You're no longer on call. I won't continue to degrade myself by making you do my job." she said. Mercedes exhaled, visually relieved.

"Thank you so much, Tess." she said.

"Thank _you_," Tessa replied gratefully as she stood, with Mercedes following suit shortly after. She gave Mercedes a short hug before she left and back at the apartment Mercedes kissed Sam for every moment she'd missed with him before.

When Alicia and Mercedes returned from the spa, it was around four in the afternoon and Sam and Devon had already started drinking in Mercedes' and Sam's room. And later on that night, Sam had the idea of going to the nightclub on board.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Devon asked, gesturing to his pregnant girlfriend sitting on the bed next to Mercedes as he and Sam leaned against the dresser. Alicia shook her head.

"What's that supposed to mean? I can go to the club-it's a _cruise _nightclub, not some raunchy college club like back home. We'll probably the youngest ones there with a bunch of middle aged couples trying to get the spark back in their relationships." Alicia replied.

"Let's not forget about the little round thing sticking out of you though," Sam said.

"Are you talking about my _stomach_, Sam?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him and Mercedes laughed.

"He's right though, Alicia. What if they don't let you in?" Mercedes said.

"They better!" she replied. "But if you think I don't have a dress to cover this thing then you don't know me at all, Mercedes Jones." Alicia added, just before she headed for the door to leave and Devon followed after her so that they could get dressed.

"We'll meet you guys downstairs." Alicia called back.

"No heels!" Mercedes shouted after her best friend.

Mercedes dressed in a corset with lace, a short-sleeved cover up, spandex-like leggings and pumps and red lipstick. While Sam threw on a v-neck, his leather, jacket and jeans-both of them dressed completely in black. Sam took two more shots while Mercedes took just one before they headed downstairs to meet Alicia and Devon. Alicia had indeed managed to disguise her stomach and Mercedes wasn't the least bit surprised that she'd worn shoes with a small wedge. They ate dinner together before heading to the night club.

The club was lit with neon lights of every color, the floors illuminated, and there were pink and black cushion chairs and tables placed sporadically around. It _looked _like it was fit for people their age and the music wasn't bad either but Alicia had been right when she said they'd be the youngest ones there.

Mercedes and Alicia danced together for a while before Sam approached her and Devon pulled Alicia along with him.

"I've had enough of just watching you," he said, his eyes slightly low and Mercedes could tell he was feeling those shots he'd taken before they left. She found that he was an okay dancer. But when he rolled his body against her, she couldn't take him seriously and only laughed.

"Are these the moves you were talking about at the wedding?" she asked over the music.

"Damn straight," he shouted back as he continued the body roll. Mercedes grabbed his hands as she laughed, trying to stop him.

"Sam," she giggled. But he continued to dance until her stomach hurt with laughter. "Sam, can you go get us some sodas?" she asked, hoping it would stop him and it worked. He nodded, kissing her quickly on the lips before heading for the bar. She turned to see Devon and Alicia laughing on one of the chairs in the corner and decided to join them, getting Sam's attention and letting him know where she'd be before she left.

"What in the world was Sam doing?" Alicia asked through a laugh once Mercedes sat with them.

"He did that at the first party we went to together when he got here-I almost asked for a roommate reassignment," Devon said, making them burst into laughter.

"He was trying, guys." Mercedes replied.

"Where is he now?" Devon asked.

"He went to get us drin-" she was cut short as she turn towards the bar, finding a petite brunette in a short blue body con dress, leaning flirtatiously on the bar as she said something to Sam. He didn't look at her, only continued to wait for the bartender to acknowledge him.

"What's up with that?" Alicia asked and Mercedes shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "But I'm about to find out."

As she approached them, she could hear the girl asking him something about them getting together later on that night. She didn't catch the whole thing, but she _did _hear Sam's response.

"I think my _girlfriend _might have a little problem with that," he said, turning to look at her. She was taken by surprise when he suddenly pulled her into him and kissed her passionately on the lips. She could taste the vodka on his tongue but she didn't care-if anything it served as a newsflash to her that even drunk, her boyfriend wouldn't cheat on her. After he released her, she turned to face the girl who looked borderline horrified.

"Just a _little _problem," Mercedes said, smiling sarcastically at her and she heard Sam smirk behind her. The girl scoffed lightly before walking away and the couple burst into laughter immediately. Mercedes turned back to him, grabbing a napkin off of the bar and reaching up to wipe her lipstick off of his mouth.

"I love you," he said through a chuckle as he picked up their drinks from the bar and she smiled.

"I know," she replied, because she really believed it. They joined their friends on the chairs in the corner and Alicia's eyebrows lifted immediately.

"What did that hussy want?" she asked and Mercedes laughed.

"Relax, you know these girls don't get it." Mercedes told her. And Sam sighed.

"I feel like-I mean-I _know _she probably saw me dancing with you out there. What the hell?" Sam said. "Why even try it? That's what I don't get."

"It's because you're this gorgeous white guy and I'm-,"

"You're gorgeous, too." Sam interruped Mercedes.

"And black," she added. "Not skinny, not white-not exactly the type of woman people tend to think men like you would be attracted to." she explained.

"Sad but true," Alicia chimed in.

"Well that's just bullshit, I'm totally attracted to you. Have you seen your thighs?" he slurred. "Have you seen her thighs, Dee?" Sam asked, turning drunkenly to Devon. Devon folded his lips in to restrain his laughter before nodding.

"I have," he said. Sam smiled slyly as he leaned in towards him before beginning  
"Yeah but you haven't been in between the-"  
"_Okay, _Sam!" Mercedes interrupted him. "I think this night's pretty much over for you, let's go,"

Mercedes walked with drunk Sam's limp arm wrapped around her shoulder as he sang Michael Jackson's _Beat It _underneath his breath, claiming it was what he should've sang when the girl at the bar approached him.

When they finally reached the room, Mercedes let him fall onto the mattress and he sighed. He pulled off his jacket and threw it on the floor and his shirt followed after.

"It's hot," he complained.

"You're drunk," Mercedes laughed as she headed for the bathroom, taking off all her jewelry and her wiping off her make up as exhaustion suddenly weighed on her. She walked back into the room to find Sam in only his boxers and already drifted off to sleep. She changed quickly into her pajama dress before joining him. Laying down, she rested her head on his chest. She was shocked when she suddenly heard his voice.

"Remember at the wedding when I said I didn't care where I was in the room as long as I saw you get married?" he asked her and she nodded, looking up at him. "I lied, I totally wanna be the bride," he drunkenly and Mercedes laughed. "I mean the guy-you know-the,"

"-groom," Mercedes provided.  
"Yes," he said, looking down at her and chuckling. "And I wanna have," he blew air from his lips as he thought. "Twelve kids." he decided. Mercedes eyes widened.

"12?" she exclaimed. "With me?" she asked.

"Hell yeah with me." he replied. Mercedes laughed quietly at the mix-up but didn't attempt to correct him."Mhm, with really pretty skin and curly hair and hazel eyes and they'd have these like, really big lips but they'll be perfect. " he rambled. Mercedes smiled as she listened.

"12 kids is a lot, Sam. Do I get to decide anything?" she asked.

"Of course." he said, wrapping his arm arm around her. "You can name half of them." he told her and she laughed. She knew he was drunk and probably wouldn't remember a single thing he'd said but she couldn't help but smile as she continued to listen to him talk about the life he wanted with her. He fell asleep a little while later almost mid-sentence and Mercedes stayed up a little longer before she fell asleep as well, thinking about him and everything he'd said, wondering if the saying, "A drunk man never tells tales," held any truth.

The next morning they ate breakfast before they left the ship. Mercedes was a bit sad that she had to say goodbye to this vacation but also relieved to get away from the sudden motion sickness she'd experienced every once in a while on board. Alicia and Devon had said something about finding their own place on the ride home and then Sam had suggested he move in with Mercedes permanently after they left. He went on and on about it, even until they reached the apartment. And even though the idea of having a future with Sam was a beautiful thought to her, she still didn't know how she felt about marriage-and the commitment of moving in together felt the exact same as marriage did to her.

"You're crazy if you think you wanna live with me, Sam." she told him as they put their bags down on her bed.

"You're crazy if you think we haven't been living together already." he replied.

"It's only been like a month," she said.

"A month and a week if you count the one when your legs were broken," he retorted and she rolled her eyes.

"Sam, moving in with someone is a big deal. What if you learn things about me you don't like?" she asked.

"What don't I already know?" he fired back. "I know you're sort of a neat freak but you sometimes also leave your drawers open which is really annoying, you _hate _touching the dishwater if it's got little food particles in it, you wrap your hair in that little satin thingy every night _religiously, _you can't sleep with your feet covered but you're also a complete blanket hog, and sometimes you fart in your sle-,"

"Alright, Sam, I get it, Jesus," she interrupted, cringing at the thought of him hearing or smelling her pass gas.

"Okay," he laughed. "So why not then? Why not live together?" he asked. She shrugged, before she gave him her most honest answer.

"I'm scared." she said. He nodded understandingly.

"Well why don't we just see how the rest of the summer goes? And if it's too much, we'll take a step back, try it again later." he suggested and she nodded her agreement. Smiling, he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I had a lot of fun this weekend," he said. "Maybe too much 'cause it kinda feels like there's a hammer knocking against my brain," he admitted. Laughing, she leaned up to kiss him. It was him who deepened the kiss, his hands roaming down and cupping her ass through her red sundress before sliding back up to rest on her cheeks. She loved when she could feel him becoming lost in her lips because she always got lost in his. When he kissed her, everything in her felt alive. She only hoped that feeling wouldn't soon fade.

They were interrupted when Sam's phone suddenly rang. He pulled away, swearing under his breath as he reached for his phone in his pocket.

"Hey, ma," she heard him say as she went to open her bag to unpack. She froze when she suddenly heard him speak again, "What?" he said, his voice cracked. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were wide and tearing. He shook his head as he listened to his mother speak and Mercedes' heart pounded. "I'll be there on Tuesday," he said into the phone, just before he ended the call.

"Sam?" Mercedes called concernedly as she watched him fall limply onto the edge of the bed, his eyes still stretched. He didn't say a word. "Sam?" she called again, sitting next to him and wrapping her arm around his, tugging on him, desperate for him to look at her. When he finally did, a lone tear was falling from his eye. He let out a strangled breath and Mercedes' heart fell into her stomach when he finally spoke;

"It's Sarah,"

Thanks for hanging in there, guys. Send your thoughts, I love to read them! :)


	24. Chapter 18: Part One

MERCEDES POV

Sam was sleeping with his head on her shoulder as they sat on the plane. It was the first time he seemed to be sleeping peacefully since the phone call. Mercedes rested her head on top of his, sighing as she remembered the day.

"It's Sarah," he'd said. And Mercedes' heart had fallen into her stomach immediately. She took in a deep breath before she spoke again.

"What happened?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"She's in the hospital and she's not responding." he told her.

"So she's-,"

"Unconscious," he said. Mercedes head fell, her heart shattering into pieces as she thought about how terrifying it all must be for him and his family.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," she said, and truthfully she didn't know what else to say. It didn't seem like a good time to ask him how it had happened. He was quiet, which only increased the aching in her heart but she understood. His silence continued as he stood, grabbing his laptop off the top of the dresser.

"I have to go back," he spoke finally, his voice suddenly composed. He sat next to her again, opening his laptop and she nodded understandingly. "Even if she wakes up tomorrow, before I even get there, I wanna be one of the faces she sees after all this." he continued. "So I'm gonna go online and price the tickets for a flight for Tuesday morning, and I was wondering," he paused, turning to look at her. "If I could buy two," he said. Mercedes' eyebrows rose at his words.

* * *

"What?" was her immediate response, though she completely understood what he had meant. "Sam, I don't know if it's a good idea for me to go-to meet your family like this." she continued honestly and he shook his head.

"I just want you to be there with me." he told her. "I don't know what's gonna happen or how this is gonna end but either way, I want you to be there. Please." he pleaded quietly. Mercedes nodded, though she was instantly nervous-nervous about meeting his family, about what would happen to Sarah, and what she would need to do if the worse possible scenario happened-if she didn't wake up. She only hope she could live up to whatever it was that he would expect from her.

Getting the time off from work wasn't as complicated as Mercedes had thought it would be. Tessa had gone to Paris for a meeting with a designer for a possible collaboration so she was left to answer to Vincent on Monday when she got to work.

"You know this type of time off is usually reserved for illnesses in your _own_ family, right?" he'd said and Mercedes had nodded before her head fell, preparing for him to turn her down and mentally deciding how she would tell Sam, how she would let him down. "_But_," he'd begun again, instantly bringing her gaze back to his. "Considering the bullshit you had to endure due to my _swinging dick_, as you so eloquently put it," he began, cracking a smile as Mercedes cringed at the memory, "I'll give you the time." he told her and she released the breath that she'd unknowingly been holding.

"Thank you, Vince." she said gratefully and he nodded.

"Three days top, Mercedes. Any more than that and you'll be heading down a slippery slope," he warned. She nodded.

"Three days tops," she repeated as she headed for the door, taking her phone out to text Sam and let him know he could buy her a ticket. "Shouldn't be a problem," she told Vincent.

"Better not be," he called after her.

* * *

Mercedes lifted her head as Sam stirred beneath her on the plane. He sat up in his chair, his eyes opening slowly.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." he apologized.

"It's okay, I'm glad you're getting some rest." she told him, her hand resting on his on the armrest between them. He looked down at it, turning his hand up so that he could intertwine their fingers.

"I'm glad you're with me," he said, his gaze meeting hers. And looking at him, and the sincerity in his eyes, she was glad to be there with him.

"I'll always be here for you," she told him. And she truly meant it. No matter what happened, she couldn't see herself ever being able to just forget about him.

Sam's father was waiting for them when they landed. As they walked towards him, hand in hand, Mercedes was shocked by just how much Sam truly resembled him, but she was also quickly overtaken by nerves. She took slow, quiet breaths, but not quiet enough for Sam not to hear. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she hated that he felt the need to comfort her at a time when his family was going through this.

Mr. Evans' green eyes were surrounded by faded dark circles, he clearly hadn't been sleeping either. She watched quietly as he wrapped Sam in a hug, patting his back a few times before pulling back. He looked him straight in the eye, his hand resting on Sam's shoulder as Sam stared down at the ground-but Mercedes could see his cheeks glistening.

"Look at me," Mr. Evans said softly. Wiping his eyes just before, Sam lifted his head to meet his father's gaze."We're gonna get through this. Do you understand me?" he promised him. "We're gonna be okay," he told him and Sam nodded as he sniffed. Mercedes was amazed, watching him turn into a little boy-vulnerable and scared and in need of his father's comforting-right before her eyes.

Mr. Evans patted him with reassurance on the shoulder before turning to face her, and she became instantly nervous again beneath his sight.

"Dad, this is-,"

"-Mercedes," Sam's father interrupted him. "We've all heard a lot about you." he told her. "Sarah was _just_ saying last week that she wanted to meet you," he said, shaking his head shortly before exhaling a deep breath. It was clear he was choking back sobs.

"Really?" Sam asked and Mr. Evans nodded.

"She was thinking of inviting her to her graduation," he told them both. Mercedes felt her eyes watering as he spoke. She didn't know Sarah, but she knew how much Sam loved her, so she _wanted_ to know her. And now she was hearing that Sarah had felt the exact same about her. It was a heartbreaking to find out now, when it could very well be too late. "I'm sorry," his father suddenly said, bringing Mercedes back from her thoughts. "I didn't mean to spring that on you." he told her. "It's nice to meet you," he continued. Mercedes shook her head swiftly.

"It's okay," she replied quickly, reflexively catching the tear that had begun falling unknown to her down her cheek with her fingertips. She understood then why he'd apologized. She cursed herself internally for cracking in front of them. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Evans. I'm so sorry it's under these circumstances." she replied sincerely. Samuel smiled softly before nodding and replying;

"So am I."

After they put their stuff in the trunk of Samuel's black car, they drove directly to the hospital. He had asked if they wanted to sleep in at the house first and Sam had looked at her, waiting on her thoughts. She appreciated that he was so considerate in a time like this but she wouldn't dream of getting in the way of him seeing his sister immediately, no matter how she felt.

Mercedes could feel Sam tense next to her as they entered the hospital together. She took his hand in hers and he looked down at her immediately, his face softening when she smiled, reminding him that she was there for him, just like he wanted her to be.

"She's right in there," Mr. Evans said as they turned a corner after they got off the elevator, gesturing to the room ahead of them. They approached it together but when Sam looked through the small window on the door, he retreated immediately, shaking his head.

"I can't," he mumbled. Mercedes stayed at his side as he moved away from the door and down the hall instead, her hand rubbing comforting circles around his back. "I can't," he almost whispered, his eyes on the floor.

"It's okay," she told him. "It's okay, we can wait," she assured him, watching as his father walked into the room. Only moments later, a petite woman with blonde hair came out of it, her eyes swollen and wide as she looked at Sam. Mercedes understood who she was immediately.

Sam's mom came rushing towards him, taking him into a tight hug that Mercedes noticed caught him off guard at first but when he realized who she was, he relaxed into the embrace. She could hear her crying softly, but not a peep fell from Sam's lips. She looked at him, his chin resting on top of his mother's head, his eyes closed and his lips tight. He looked different than he had just a half an hour ago when he'd been in his father's arms. He looked like a man again-stronger as he held his mother, as if he needed to be. Mercedes felt a bit out of place, not sure where to stand or what to say, but she was still glad to be there. Despite the situation, it was interesting to see the way Sam's family dealt with grief, and the different people that Sam was within either of his parents' arms.

With his father, he was able to shrink down, to break and fall apart. But with his mother, he grew again, he stood tall and strong and allowed her to fall apart on him. It was both heartbreaking and beautiful to see, and it only made her love him more.

As she continued to silently watch the encounter, she was taken by surprise when she suddenly felt a hand grasping hers-a hand that was much too small to be Sam's. When she looked down, she found it to be his mother's. She didn't know what to think then or what to do, so she didn't move, only held onto her hand until she released hers. Sam kissed the top of his mother's head as she pulled away, one of her arms still wrapped around her son.

"Thank you for being here," his mother spoke as she looked at Mercedes, wiping her eyes. "She'll be glad to see you,"

"She's up?" Sam asked before Mercedes could form a response, his eyes suddenly wide with expectations.

"No," she replied quietly, patting his back softly. "Not yet honey, but she'll come around," she promised him and Mercedes watched as his face fell again and she sighed quietly. She just wished there was something she could do. "Y'all wanna see her?" she asked them, looking back and forth between the two. Mercedes didn't think to answer since she was the guest in the situation but when his mother's eyes landed on her and stayed there, her eyebrows raising as if urging an answer, she knew she was expected to say something.

"Um, Sam was-,"

"I wasn't ready," Sam interjected quietly. His mother nodded understandingly up at him, her nostril's flaring as she took in a breath, her eyes tearing again but she wiped them before a drop could fall.

"Come in whenever you are," she told him, rubbing his back once more before dropping her arm from around him and moving to walk away.

"Mom," Sam called after her as he moved to stand next to Mercedes again. "I'm here now," he began as his mother returned. "You told me you would tell me what happened when I got here," he reminded her and it occurred to Mercedes then that he was completely clueless as to how this had happened. She understood even more now why he hadn't been able to sleep peacefully, his mind had more than likely been wandering non-stop. Mrs. Evans sighed as she stood before them again, her eyes falling to the ground shortly before returning to them and Mercedes wrapped her arms comfortingly around Sam's bicep, reminding him yet again that she was right there next to him.

"She and Alex got into a car accident late Saturday night," she told him and Mercedes felt Sam tense. "She was-,"

"Sylvia," Mr. Evans' voice interrupted, making them all turn to look at him standing by the room door. "She's moving her feet," she told them.

"She's what?" Sylvia replied in shock as she moved towards the door and Sam followed immediately after, grasping Mercedes' hand and bringing her along.

SAM'S POV

He didn't want to see her this way. From the moment he'd looked at her through the window of the room, he'd decided that he _couldn't_ see her this way.

In fact there didn't seem to be any sign of his sister anywhere. Gone was the girl with the bright smile and friendly eyes. Instead, there lay a girl with tubes and cords flowing from various parts of her body-her mouth, her nose, her arms. A girl who was still-_too_ still; whose body seemed vacant of life and spirit. She looked nothing like Sarah but of course, he knew that it _was_ her. And that was heartbreaking.

So he couldn't go in when they first arrived, not yet. He needed time to adjust-time to accept that this was real-that his little sister really was in a coma-like state. When he'd gotten the call from his mother, his entire being had felt like it had been deprived of all the things it required. For a moment he'd forgotten how to breathe and for the next few days, sleep had been impossible, even with Mercedes next to him.

From the time that he was old enough to understand his sister's condition, his deepest fear had been seeing her hurt. He'd wanted to protect her from anything and everything that could cause her harm. It was one of the reasons leaving had been a hard decision for him. But she'd been fine-months had passed and she'd been fine. So he'd started calling her a little less, he'd stopped checking in on her as often as he used to which he was sure she was happy about. But now this had happened and he couldn't help but think that if he'd been there, somehow, things would've been different.

Now as they entered the room and his eyes fell on her again, he was suddenly overcome with something that he couldn't identify. But he needed to be near her. He moved quickly to her side, the people around them suddenly nonexistent in his brain.

Looking down at her, his eyes grew wide and teary. She was too pale and just _too damn still._

He shook his head as he looked at her, a tear falling down his cheek. Lifting his hand, he moved to rest it softly on her cheek. He smiled at the warmth he found on her skin, indicating that life still rested within her. Bending his hand, he moved his fingertips gently up and down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," he whispered quietly enough for only him and her to hear. "I'm so sor-," he began again but but he was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice behind him.

"The doctor's said just to try to keep her head still," Alex said cautiously. At the very sound of his voice, Sam was instantly filled with irritation. And when he turned to find him standing there next to Sam's father, that irritation was replaced by anger.

"I know that," Sam replied sharply as he stood up straight. Alex's eyebrows pulled together for a moment before relaxing again. "So you got out just fine, huh?" Sam asked rhetorically. "You crash the car and get out without even a single scratch, lucky fucking you." Sam spit out viciously, the presence of his parents only becoming apparent to him again when he heard them both hiss his name at once. But even they weren't enough to calm the rage building in him as he moved towards him. "What were you doing, drinking?" he asked him. "Thought you could get a little buzz and drive with my sister in the car?" he accused, his fist tight as he approached him. He was just a few feet short of reaching him before his father stepped right in front of him, his hand pressing sternly against his chest to stop him. "I'm not gonna hit him," he told his dad quietly through gritted teeth, though he wasn't exactly sure if that was true.

"You need to calm down," his father ordered him but Sam could barely hear him as his eyes burned into Alex behind him. His blood was hot and his skin was, too. He didn't expect to see Alex in good health-not that he'd hoped he would be hurt, too. But seeing him there, with not a bruise or even a hint of an injury, he instantly blamed him.

"Why are you even here?" Sam growled at him. "Why don't you go live your own life, you've already taken hers," he said, the words burning his mouth with venom as they left him.

"Sam," his mother gasped. But Sam's eyes didn't leave Alex and the pained look on his face almost made him regret his words. He watched as Alex's eyes watered and his nostrils flared as he looked away from Sam.

"I'm gonna go," he whispered just before he turned to leave.

"Alex do-," Sylvia began.

"It's okay," Alex interrupted, nodding with assurance as he looked at her, a weak smile pulling on his lips as a tear fell down his cheek. "It's fine," he said, just before he walked out the door. Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched the encounter. He knew the words were more hurtful than necessary but he didn't understand why he was the only who seemed to see that Alex didn't deserve to be there-that he was at fault. When Sylvia's gaze returned to his, she appeared livid.

"Mom-," Sam began as he moved away from his father and towards her.

"Shut up," she ordered him. And he stopped in his place, his eyebrows tensed as he looked at her. "She was having a seizure, Sam." she told him, her voice calmer but still laced with something like anger. "He was bringing her home and she started having a seizure in his car." she went on and Sam's heart fell into his stomach as he listened. "He was trying to help her-trying to get her to a damn hospital, Sam." she said, her voice rising as she continued. "The truck ran into them," she informed him more quietly and Sam's eyes widened as he listened.

"I thought-,"

"You _assumed_," she interrupted him. "Don't you think he feels bad enough?" she asked him rhetorically before shaking her head and moving away from him. Sam's eyes closed for a moment before opening them again, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. In the corner of his eye, he watched Mercedes slip out of the hospital room, realizing then that he'd unconsciously been avoiding her gaze since it had all started for fear of judgment from her. But it didn't matter-whether he'd looked at her or not, she'd still been there to watch him crush Alex with his spiteful words. And now she was leaving. He shook his head in shame as he looked down at his feet.

In the heat of the moment, he'd meant the words he'd said. But that was before he knew the situation. He understood then that he shouldn't have assumed and placed blame, and he truly regretted what he'd said. He didn't even know how to begin to apologize or what to say-the weight that the words had dropped onto Alex had been visually tremendous through his facial expressions. And now an even greater burden sat on Sam's shoulders-the heavy force of his sister's condition, of the undeserving guilt he'd placed on Alex, and of the foul impression he felt he knew Mercedes now had of him.

All these things coming down on him at once with the weight as heavy as an entire planet, leaving him with shaky knees and trembling arms. And he wasn't sure if he could lift it-if he could carry even a moment longer before it crushed him into the earth.


	25. Chapter 18: Part Two

Sorry for any errors, I'm only human. Besides my computer's having an actual meltdown. -.- Enjoy!

MERCEDES' POV

She saw it coming before it even happened.

The moment Sam froze at the sound of Alex's voice, she knew what would happen. There was so unnervingly familiar that took over him which easily reminded her of the way he'd looked when he'd been standing before Derrick at the wedding reception.

So she knew what was coming-she knew that he'd had every intention of hurting Alex. And truthfully it gave her a bad feeling instantly. She knew this part of Sam existed, but she'd never seen him become completely overcome by it. She never thought she would either. And when it happened, she hadn't known what to do.

He looked almost like he was fit to kill-his body was tense, his fists clenched, his eyes were dark with anger, and his face was hard. He walked stiffly, as if there was someone or something else controlling him. And he never looked at her. Despite his past, it all seemed out of character for him to her and she wished she could understand it.

To someone who didn't really know know him, someone who didn't love him, he might have looked terrifying. But to Mercedes, he simply looked _hurt_.

She was disappointed in the way he had handled it and how he had approached Alex. But she saw his pain. She could see his anger, too, but more than anything; pain. She could clearly see that he was suffering in more ways than one and she hated it. But nonetheless, it wasn't an excuse for what he'd said to Alex. It was obvious that the words had wounded everyone in the room but the sheer pain that fell upon Alex's face had hurt even more to see. She felt so incredibly bad for him, she knew the power of guilt and how badly it could cripple a person. So she couldn't in good conscious let him leave without saying _something_.

* * *

No one seemed to have noticed when she quietly left the room in the middle of the family dispute. She walked quickly down the hallway, her eyes darting around the building in search of him as she moved. She spotted him sitting on a chair just before the elevator, his face buried in his hands. It occurred to her then that she hadn't actually met him and she wasn't exactly sure how to approach him. But she wouldn't walk away, she couldn't. Especially now that she was looking at him, quite obviously upset. So she took a deep breath as she moved towards him, stopping just a couple feet away from him.

"Alex?" she called. His head shot up quickly and he turned to look at her, his eyes squinting as if adjusting to the light and his cheeks wet. "I'm Mercedes," she introduced with a gentle smile. He sniffed as he sat up, drying his cheeks with his hands.

"You're Sam's girlfriend," he noted in a slightly trembling voice. She nodded and he smiled weakly as he nodded, too. "Sarah was thinking of inviting you to her graduation," he told her. She inhaled as she looked down at her hands.

"Yeah, I-I heard." she replied, a sudden ache in her stomach. "And she still could," she said optimistically, because frankly it was starting to bother her how everyone seemed to be speaking as if Sarah were already dead. Alex smirked as he looked at her.

"Yeah," he breathed. "I guess you're right," he shrugged, wiping his tearing eyes again. It pained her to see him trying to contain himself. She could only imagine what he must have been feeling.

"Look, Alex, I just wanted to apologize for what happened in there-," she began.

"I know," he said. "But you don't have to apologize for him-,"

"Oh trust me, I'm _not_ apologizing for him," she told him. "What he said was-" she shook her head, with no words coming to her quickly enough. "I didn't come out here to talk about him, everything that he needs to say to you, he will say." she told him. "Sam's a really good guy." she said, chuckling to herself only a moment later. "So much for not talking about him," she muttered and Alex chuckled weakly next to her before falling silent again. "I know we don't know each other," Mercedes began again. "but I heard what happened and I just wanted to make sure that you know that none of this is your fault," she told him. Alex chewed his bottom lip as he nodded, a tear falling down his cheek. He was silent for a moment before his face fell into his hands again and then he was crying quietly. Mercedes eyes watered as she looked at him and then she cautiously rested her hand on his back, and to her surprise, he didn't tense. He cried for a moment longer before sighing and sitting up again, and Mercedes' hand retreated to her lap.

"It's been tearing me apart," he admitted and Mercedes' heart ached at his words. "I didn't know what to do," he said, shaking his head as he wiped his eyes once more. "I was just taking her home. We went to a movie and got some food and I was just-just driving her home and she-," he paused exhaling loudly and Mercedes watched as his legs began to shake as if he couldn't sit still. "I didn't know what to do," he cried quietly as he stood abruptly, his hands wiping his eyes again as he walked towards the wall in front of him. Shaking her head, Mercedes stood and followed him.

"How _could_ you know?" she asked him rhetorically. He didn't respond, only leaned his forehead and his folded overlapping arms against the wall as he continued to weep quietly while she stood to the side of him. It was a painful thing to watch-him blaming himself for something that he clearly had no control over.

"Hey," she said as he began to calm down again. "Hey, this isn't your fault, okay? _None_ of this is your fault." she told him. He stood still for a moment before he nodded and stood up straight again. He sighed as his hands traveled up his face and then through his short cropped brown hair before allowing his arms to fall limply to his side. Smiling weakly as he looked down at the shorter girl, he nodded again.

"Thank you," he said. "Thanks for coming after me." he continued gratefully, chuckling softly afterwards. "We're practically strangers," he noted. And she smiled.

"Trust me, I've been in weirder situations with a stranger," she replied, remembering the week she'd spent _living_ with Sam after having only met him a couple of days before. Alex raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he listened and smiled. "And anyway, I was just telling you the truth. No need to thank me," Mercedes said and his lips tightened as he nodded again. A very short silence fell between them before he exhaled and fidgeted with the sleeves of the blue flannel shirt he was wearing.

"I think I should go home and get some sleep-haven't actually been in _my_ bed in the last couple days." he said. "This is sort of becoming a family thing anyway so," he shrugged and Mercedes frowned as she listened but it was clear there was no stopping him. "See you later, alright?" he said as he pressed the button for the elevator and the doors slid open shortly after.

"Okay," she replied, watching as he stepped in and she waved as the doors began to close again.

As she walked back towards the room, she wasn't sure that she'd gotten through to Alex at all and that tugged at her a bit. But she took comfort in knowing that she'd at least done what she could.

She was slowly approaching the room door, wondering what happened after she'd left when suddenly Sam came out of it, his eyes wide and his skin pale. And that was when she stopped in her place. He didn't see her at first so she didn't move, only stood watching him as he buried his face in his hands for a moment before dropping his arms to his side again, and shaking them a bit as if to release some anxiety. She didn't know exactly what she felt upon seeing him for the first time since what happened a little while earlier, but she did notice that he looked different-_sick_ almost.

She felt a chill run through her when he finally did look at her and she watched as his eyes seemed to instantly return to normal size, his entire being suddenly relaxed, and the blood rushed back into his cheeks. She didn't quite understand it nor did she have time to form attemp to because he was moving towards her, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as his his eyes burned into hers.

"I thought you left," he said quietly once he'd closed the distance between them, looking down at his feet for a moment before returning his gaze to her. Mercedes understood then why his _everything_ had suddenly been restored to normal when he saw her-he was relieved.

"Where would I go?" she asked. "I'm in _Tennessee_, Sam." she said through a slight smile. Despite her disappointment in him, she wouldn't leave him that way, but she understood why he would think she would. His father had always left when things got tough, and he had even partially become that person. It only made sense that he would think she would leave him, too. The thought of it put made her heart feel heavy and she had to admit it softened her a bit.

Sam chuckled quietly as his head fell for a moment before looking at her again. He sighed as a silence surrounded them.

"Where's Alex?" he asked her, after a little while, looking above her head and down the hall.

"He _did_ leave," she told him and he swore under his breath before looking back down at her. Mercedes bit her lip curiously as she looked at him, the question heavy on her mind. "What happened in there, Sam?" she asked and his eyes met hers, something in them that she couldn't identify.

"I just lost it," he said. "I just-I don't even fucking know. I just-," he shrugged, giving up the chase for the right words. It was quiet between them then, and she guessed he was expecting her to move on from it. But she genuinely wanted to understand. He sighed as he looked at her. "I feel like shit about it," he said and something like irritation quickly warmed her skin.

"I'm sure Alex feels a lot worse," she snapped back. Sam's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before relaxing again and he sighed, scratching the bottom of his chin before speaking again.

"I _know_ it was bad," he admitted. "I was being a complete jackass. I came out here to apologize to him-and to find you-but now he's gone," he groaned. "I wouldn't know what to say either." he said. "What am I supposed to say?" he asked almost to himself, his jaw tensing and his brows in a hard line. "I fucked up," he whispered to himself. And she could almost see him mentally tearing himself apart, limb from limb. She couldn't stand to see him beating himself up as he often did.

"Sam, _don't_." she said, looking up at him as he looked straight past the top of her head, his face still hard. "None of us are above messing up, we all say things we shouldn't sometimes, we're human beings." she told him. "What happened _was _bad but don't use your energy beating yourself up over it, just fix it." she continued, with him still not looking at her. Reaching up, she placed her hand on his cheek and brought his gaze down to hers, feeling his face soften beneath her touch. "_Sam_," she called and he was frowning as he looked down at her. "Sam, you don't get to do this. You don't get to shut down after _you've_ hurt someone. Okay? You just have to make it right. You have to think about what _Alex _is feeling." she told him. Sam nodded as he listened to her.

"I still have no idea what I'm even gonna say. I barely know the guy," he said, clearly exhausted with the thought of it as her hand fell from his cheek.

"He knows _you, _Sam." she replied. "If she talks about you as much as you talk about her, he _knows _you," she told him and he smiled softly down at her. "You'll know what to say when it's time." she promised him.

With that, Sam nodded before pulling her into him and wrapping her in a hug.

"Thank you for staying-for even talking to me after all that," he said into the embrace, his hands falling on either of her cheeks while he kissed her softly on the forehead once he'd released her and she grinned at his touch.

"Well, I dunno if you've noticed but, I'm kind of ridiculously in love with you," she replied and he laughed as she repeated his own words from the past. She smiled, stepping on her tip toes to return the kiss to his forehead. "I'm not gonna leave you, Sam." she told him, taking her hand in his as they walked towards the room again.

When they entered the room, the doctor was inside talking to his parents. Mercedes and Sam listened in as he told them just how much progress Sarah had made just by moving her feet. Just as he prepared to leave, Sam stopped him.

"I just have a question," he told the doctor and Dr. Edwards nodded as he took off his glasses. Sam quickly introduced himself before continuing with his inquiry. "I'm just wondering how this happened exactly," Sam said. "I mean, how is it possible that she's like," he paused gesturing to his sister unconscious in the bed, "_that_. And Alex doesn't even have a bruise or a scar or anything," he said and the doctor nodded as he listened. "How is that possible?" Sam asked.

"Well, Alex actually did have a mild concussion on the night that they came in but nothing gravely serious. The fact is, as I explained to your parents earlier this morning, her unconsciousness is resulting mostly from the _multiple_ severe seizures she endured that night. Her brain likely was not able to recover in between the seizures, thus causing her to fall unconscious. To be truthful, I'm betting that no matter where she had been that night, we would have all ended up here just the same," he said and Sam nodded. She wondered how it must have made him feel to find out that neither the accident nor Alex's driving had been the cause of this in _any_ way.

The couple and Sam's parents sat for hours more in the room, sometimes it got quiet, and sometimes they talked idly about trivial things to pass the time-though there was clearly a dark cloud hanging over each and every one of them. Midway through the day, Sam and Mercedes went to the hospital cafe and ate together. He was mostly quiet and she could tell his mind was understandably elsewhere. Whenever he did speak, he was telling her about various childhood memories between he and Sarah that made them both laugh but she could see the flash of sadness in his eyes after each story. In the middle of one of them, he'd paused and shook his head, sitting back in his chair as his eyes began to tear and Mercedes had reached across the table, taking his hand in hers and holding it for comfort. It was all she could give him at that point.

Later as they all sat in the room again, Mercedes sat on the long cushioned chair with her head resting on Sam's shoulder while his mother sat next to him, her elbow on the arm of the chair and her head propped up on her fist. Mercedes could see her eyes opening and closing slowly. She was clearly fighting sleep and Mercedes wasn't the only one to notice.

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" Mr. Evans suggested from the individual sofa chair next to them.

"I'm okay," Sylvia replied, sitting up and rubbing eyes.

"Honey, you need to go home, okay? You haven't been to sleep in days," he told her.

"Samu-,"

"Just for one night," he interrupted her objection and Mercedes could only smile as she noticed yet another trait Sam shared with his father. "Just go home for one night, please." he pleaded as he moved to stand in front of her, taking her hand and standing her on her feet. "You'll know as soon as I do if something changes, alright?" he told her and she sighed.

"I don't think I can be in that house alone, Samuel." she replied quietly and she could feel Sam stiffen next to her.

"We'll go with you," Sam said. Mercedes lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. And in his face she found that he had no desire to leave whatsoever. She knew he was only suggesting it so that she wouldn't be alone and uncomfortable with his mom. But she wouldn't inconvenience him that way, not with everything they were going through.

"Sam, you don't have to. I'll go, you can stay here." she told him quietly. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her, as if to ask if she was sure. "Stay," she urged him, placing her hand on top of his that rested on his leg and squeezing. He nodded as he turned his hand over to intertwine it with hers before replying,

"Okay,"

Mercedes insisted that she could drive as long as she had a GPS and since the hospital wasn't very far from their home, Mrs. Evans had allowed it. On the ride home, she'd been quiet, presumably sleeping, Mercedes couldn't take her eyes off of the road and the GPS long enough to find out. But the silence between them was comfortable, so she really had no need to.

The Evan's home was exactly how Mercedes had imagined it. The house in itself looked southern, painted an off white with dark green exterior window shutters and brown roofing. The inside was quaint and sophisticated, yet comfortable and _home-y._ Upon entering, Mercedes was immediately transported to all the memories Sam had revealed to her and she could clearly see where each of them had happened-from the time he'd attempted to carry her down the stairs when they were young and he'd fallen flat on his behind on only the second step down, while keeping her securely in his arms but she'd still never trusted him to carry her for years, to the time she'd been waiting behind the wall around the foyer that led to the living room and scared him so badly that he'd actually peed on himself. She quite liked imagining young Sam and Sarah and the dynamic they had. But it also made it even more painful to remember the situation at hand.

"Did you wanna sleep in the guest room or Sam's?" Sylvia asked her as they stood in the middle of the hallway upstairs, suddenly interrupting her thoughts. In her distracted thinking, Mercedes hadn't even realized that the woman had led her up the stairs. She thought for a short moment about what it might be like to sleep in his old teenage bedroom. She figured at least she would have his old pillows to snuggle since she couldn't have him that night.

"Sam's room is fine," she told her. Sylvia nodded, leading her down the hallway a little further, until they were at a door, right across from another one that had _SARAH_ in yellow block letters placed diagonally on it. Mercedes frowned instantly, wondering what it might look like behind those doors, wondering what memories Sarah had made inside that room, and deeply hoping that she'd be able to make more.

Sylvia opened Sam's door for Mercedes and allowed her to walk in.

"Make yourself at home, alright? Food, shower-it's all yours. Just don't touch my AC." she told her as Mercedes dropped her bag on the floor in front of the bed and smiled, her eyes darting around the room, finding pictures of him and Sarah, drawings and paintings of his own, and posters of bands and musicians that she didn't recognize all over the blue walls.

"Thank you," Mercedes replied as she nodded and Sylvia smiled. She squeezed Mercedes' forearm softly before heading for the door.

"Goodnight, honey," she said.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Evans." Mercedes replied.

She was entirely too tired and drained to shower. So instead, she washed off and changed into her pink pajama shorts and white t-shirt, cleaned her face in Sam's bathroom, brushed her teeth and headed for bed, too exhausted to even _attempt_ to wrap her hair.

In his bed, she quickly found his scent and it made her smile profusely because she knew for sure then that there was no cologne or deodorant that could create that smell-it was just _Sam_.

She fell asleep with her body wrapped tightly around one of his pillows. It was easy for her to sleep peacefully when his scent was surrounding her. But nothing could replace the feeling that came over her when she was actually in his arms-it was a feeling she hadn't expected to experience that night.

Until she was woken late in the middle of the night by him, pulling her back into him and wrapping his arms around her. Though she was confused, she couldn't help but smile, sighing peacefully at his warmth.

"I had to know if this bed felt any better with you in it," he said suddenly and sleepily into her skin.

"Does it?" she asked, admittedly shocked by his presence and his ability to focus on anything besides his sister.

"It does," he replied and she could feel his smile on her neck. She turned to face him then, her hand resting immediately on his bristled cheek and his still on her side.

"Anything new?" she wondered and she saw his head shake in the dark.

"Still just moving her feet and legs a lot. Doctor says that's better than nothin'," he shrugged. Smiling softly at his stronger southern drawl, Mercedes caressed his cheek gently and he sighed as he moved to rest his hand on top of hers. "You think she's gonna be alright?" he asked her and the question truly took her by surprise. If she was being honest, she _did_ think she would be okay. But she didn't know if it was a good idea to say so, because what if she was wrong? She decided to be as ambiguous yet equally comforting as she could be.

"I think everything's gonna be okay," she replied, just before she leaned in and kissed him softly and shortly on the lips. Sleep came quickly to both of them moments later, with Mercedes' body wrapped comfortably around his instead of his pillow.

* * *

In the morning, she woke alone with a note on the pillow next to her that read,

_Meeting my dad for a quick breakfast then going back to the hospital. I love you._

She wiped her eyes and smiled drowsily as she read it. On the clock on the nightstand next to the bed, she found that it was only 9:30. She got out of bed and headed for the shower that she realized once she was inside of she really needed. The water worked miracles on her tense muscles and she stepped out feeling refreshed. After she made up his bed again, she headed out of his room and down the stairs.

Mrs. Evans was nowhere in sight and Mercedes guessed she was still asleep. With that, she took it upon herself to make breakfast for the two of them. Before she began, she started a pot of coffee and afterwards in the large silver refrigerator she found turkey bacon, eggs and fruit. She got to know the kitchen as she cooked as she quickly whipped up a couple of small cheese omelets and a few bacon strips for each of them-figuring Sylvia wouldn't have much of an appetite. After placing the food and the fruit on two separate plates for both of them, she began pouring two mugs of coffee. Just as she finished pouring them, she heard the sound of bare footsteps rounding the corner to the kitchen.

"_Wow_," Sylvia said, her eyes wide as she looked at the two plates on the counter. Mercedes' stomach flipped as the possibility of Mrs. Evans being offended or uncomfortable by her actions suddenly invaded her mind.

"I hope you don't mind I cooked breakfast," she said nervously as she put the coffee pot down. Sylvia smiled sweetly at her.

"Oh, I would never mind that, darlin'." she replied and Mercedes chuckled softly, her breathing normalizing again.

"How do you like your coffee?" Mercedes asked and Sylvia shook her head as she entered the kitchen.

"At _least_ let me make the coffee," she said. Mercedes smiled as she backed away from the two mugs. "How do _you_ like your coffee?" Sylvia asked.

"Just milk and sugar," Mercedes replied and Mrs. Evans nodded.

After the coffee was prepared and the food was on the table, the two women sat down across from each other. Mercedes asked trivial questions about the decorations around the house to fill the silence between them at they ate. But it wasn't long before she ran out of things to ask and the silence stretched again. Sylvia's voice cut it short abruptly though when she began to speak.

"I want you to know I really do appreciate you being here." she said and Mercedes nodded. "In spite of what happened yesterday with him and Alex, with you here, Sam's handling this a helluva lot better than I thought he would." Mrs. Evans admitted. Mercedes smiled, cursing her warming cheeks.

"I thinks it's beautiful how much he cares about her," she replied.

"She cares about him just as much," Sylvia said, her eyes suddenly glued to the table, clearly deep in thought. She broke the quiet between them once more when she abruptly began to chuckle, though her eyes were beginning to water. "I remember when she was eleven years old and he was 12," she began, picking up the cloth napkin next to her plate and wiping the falling tear from her eye. "She and I were at one of his baseball games and he was up to bat. We're clappin' and cheerin' him on and trying to distract the pitcher. Then the balls in the air and, well in retrospect that ball probably was going a little too fast for little league. But then, the pitcher looked a little too big for little league." she said through a chuckle. "So the balls going towards Sam and he looks ready. But he swings just a second or two too late and the ball hits him hard right on the top of his shoulder." she told her and Mercedes cringed as she listened. "So Sam goes fallin' to the ground, cryin' and yellin' and the coach is runnin' out to the field and I get up and I go out there, too. Of course, Sarah couldn't run out there with us." she went on and Mercedes nodded. "So at the hospital while he's getting his x-ray done, she's sittin' next to me in the room and out of nowhere I hear her snifflin'. I ask her what's wrong and she starts tellin' me how she wanted to help him, too. She wanted to go out on the field and help calm him down and such. But she couldn't. And she was afraid he would hate her for it." Sylvia said as she smiled, her eyes tearing again. "Of course he didn't." she added as she wiped the tears once more. "It turned out his shoulder was dislocated. After the doctor set it back, he had to wear a sling, do some exercises with it and take a couple different prescriptions everyday." she explained. "And Sarah stayed on his tail," she laughed. "For weeks, we'd hear her askin' him about three times a day, '_did you take your medicine, Sammy?' 'you do your stretches Sammy?'._ It was the sweetest thing," she said as she smirked to herself. When she finally looked up at Mercedes again, her eyes stretched. Mercedes hadn't even realized her own cheeks were soaked with tears. She'd found herself crying a lot more often than she normally would those past couple of days and she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about it. She picked up her cloth napkin and wiped her face quickly, not fund of the idea of Mrs. Evans worrying about her.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, sniffing as she dried her eyes. "That's just," she shook her head, her eyes filling again. "It's really sweet," she finished as she smiled.

"They've always bee-," Sylvia's next words were cut off by the sound of her cell phone ringing on the counter in the kitchen. Mercedes watched as she jumped from her seat and sprinted for it.

"Hello?" she heard her voice distantly say and then a bone chilling shriek that she found completely impossible to decipher followed. And in that moment, her heart felt like it could beat right out of her chest.

Hang in there! ^.^


	26. If I Die Young

SAM'S POV

Sam had been sitting on the chair next to Sarah's bed when he heard the sound of a machine beeping incessantly. Sleep had come to him ever so fleetingly the night before. He'd always heard that no two things could keep a man up at night like fear and love could. And that night his sleep battled with both. In his arms, he held his girlfriend against him and he was overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed because as he lay in bed, he reflected over the day and all that had occurred. And he thought that it might have been the day that he realized, without a shadow of a doubt, that she loved him.

When he had watched her walk out the door after he had attacked Alex, he'd thought that she had left him and a large part of him had felt like it had instantaneously shut down the way the electricity does in a power outage-quickly and without warning. He didn't know where she would go or how she would get there and he didn't think she'd ever tell him either. He thought she was disgusted by him, because frankly he was, too. He would never see her again; never see her smile or hear her laugh. Never hear her soft snoring in the morning next to him after having spent the night listening to her making even sweeter sounds in his ear that sleep couldn't produce.

The truth was, Sam hadn't counted on living another day without her ever again, and he wasn't prepared to figure out how to do it. But in his mind it had been too late. She was long gone-she'd taken some directions from a stranger and found her way to a train or a bus, gotten a hotel room and would leave as soon as she could get her things from his father's trunk.

What he felt when he'd realized just how wrong he'd been was indescribable. It was past happiness and beyond relief. When he'd walked out of the room, he'd been shaken and overcome with panic and guilt that he thought would eat at him until he was at risk of vanishing completely. He'd intended to find Alex and attempt to fix at least one part of all of this, but he'd found _her_ instead. And just like electricity returns after the black out, the veins in his body were pumping life again. His initial thought had been to run to her, to wrap his arms around her and hug her. But he'd thought better of it immediately. Though she was there, he hadn't known exactly what their first encounter would be like after what had happened. He'd half expected her to walk right past him and ask his father for his keys so she could get her stuff from his car. But instead, she'd stood there as he approached her. She didn't appear angry or disgusted-she'd even managed to chuckle at his theory of her leaving. She spoke with the utmost of concern for him. She didn't talk at him, she talked _to_ him and when the conversation had ended, he hadn't felt judged or belittled-he'd felt encouraged.

_I'm not gonna leave you, Sam._

The words felt the way a warm bed does after a grueling day of work. They'd been the last words he'd expected to hear from her that day. But she'd said them, and he knew that she'd meant them because she was still there. He'd made an awful mistake attacking Alex the way he had and all on an impulse and a striking bolt of anger. If his actions were indicative of their future together, he was a man with abandonment issues who ran at the sight of trouble, and a partially raging temper-and he didn't think she would want a future with that at all. But there she was, standing in front of him, declaring her willingness to stay. And all the while she was changing him, molding him into a better man just by _existing_.

She loved him. He didn't doubt it then and he didn't doubt it when she'd told him later on that night in his bed that everything would be alright.

Truthfully he'd regretted asking her the question of his sister's fate immediately after the words had left him-the pressure wasn't fair. But she hadn't sunk beneath it. She didn't know what would happen to Sarah-no one on the earth did, and he knew that.

_I think everything's gonna be okay._

He hadn't fully grasped what it could mean until he'd woken abruptly a couple of hours later from his sleep. And when he understood it, it both broke his heart and mended it all at once. What she'd really meant was that, even if his little sister never opened her eyes again, _everything_ would be okay. It was a hard pill to swallow and it nearly choked him every time he attempted to fall asleep again that night. He kept thinking how unfair it was that he still had the choice to wake up or not to, while his sister lay in a bed that wasn't hers, with only enough consciousness to move her legs. The sun was rising by the time he had finished pondering just how brief life could be for the people who deserved to live the most. After he wrote a quick note to Mercedes, he showered and then drove his father's car back to the hospital and the two of them had a quick breakfast at a small diner around the corner. They ate in a comfortable silence as the news played on a television screen on the wall. A reporter was saying something about a woman giving birth to six babies at the hospital where Sarah was. A cryptic laugh escaped him as he considered how tragic it was that six lives began within the same building where his sister's was slowly fading, along with his hope.

Was it tragic? Or beautiful? He couldn't decide. He only knew that life was short and Sarah had only seen the tip of the iceberg, and already she was checking out. The thought of it felt like a knife jabbed through the back of his chest that twisted and moved deeper each time he looked at her.

Back at the hospital, the beeping shook him from his sleep. Only a couple of minutes before he'd thought he'd heard his father say something about a vending machine. When he woke, there was only him and Sarah so he figured he hadn't imagined it. He stood and his gaze followed the sound of the beeping, attempting to locate its source but there were too many machines for him to identify it. He was _just _moving to go get a nurse when he heard the door swing open behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around because he'd happened to look down at his sister, and found her looking right back at him.

Send your thoughts! ^.^


	27. Chapter 19

SAM'S POV

She was awake.

The beeping sound hadn't stopped and the room was now swarming with three or four nurses, all of them moving seamlessly around each other as each of them performed the duty they were responsible for. Sam didn't know how he'd ended up in the background watching as it all occurred but he knew that he could see her blinking.

_She was awake. _

Sam's heart felt as if it could burst. And when the doctor suddenly came through the door and one of the nurses turned around and announced,

"She's back,", he realized that all this time his world had stopped spinning until then, when it started again. It was then that he took off, rushing out of the room to find his father. He spotted him at the nurses desk down the hall munching down the bag of cashews he had in his hand as he asked them something about granola bars. When Sam reached him, he turned to look at him. Not a word was spoken between them before they were both sprinting down the hallway, the cashews scattering loudly on the floor.

When they got back to the room and Sam opened the door, one of the nurses immediately asked him to give them a moment, promising that Sarah would be alright. They retreated from the room then, both of them visually shaken with panic and excitement all at once. Sam watched as his father pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed on it.

"Sylvie?" he heard his father say into the phone. "She's awake, Sylvia-our baby's awake!" he almost shouted and Sam felt more than heard the sound of his mother's scream in the phone.

She and Mercedes were there in under ten minutes. Sam wrapped his girlfriend in a hug the moment she arrived, laughing as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"She's back," he breathed into her shoulder. "I heard them say it-she's back, she's alive." he almost laughed. Mercedes pulled back and smiled and he could see her eyes beginning to water. Not a drop left them though as she reached up to wipe his wet cheeks. "You said everything would be alright," he remembered and she nodded. "Did you believe it when you said it?" he asked her.

"Of course I did," she told him, kissing his now dry cheek softly. "I had to believe it for you, for her, and for me." she continued.

"Why you?" he asked as their hands intertwined.

"Because I would've been crushed if I never got to meet her." she said and Sam smiled, the idea of them never knowing each other heartbreaking for him as well. Just as she was beginning to speak again, Dr. Edwards swung the room door open and walked out of it, bringing the entire group's attention to him. Sam's father was the first to charge.

"Can we see her?" he asked as he moved out of his wife's embrace and towards the doctor instead.

"Yes you can," he told them and Mr. Evans' hand was reaching for the door until he moved to block him. "Let me just explain some things first," he said and he nodded as he moved back and stood next to his wife again, wrapping his arm around her. "Things are looking good," he began. "She's regained consciousness, she's speaking and moving her arms and legs fine. _But_, she has only been awake for about thirty minutes. With that being said, it wouldn't be out of ordinary for her to go in and out consciousness throughout the day." he told them. Sam's heart began to pound immediately.

"Out of consciousness? What do you mean, I thought she was out of the coma?" he asked in panic.

"She is," Dr. Edwards quickly replied reassuringly. "But it's going to take a couple days for her to fully recover. It's perfectly normal though, don't be worried, alright?" he said, his eyes locking with all of theirs one by one for assurance as they all nodded.

"What about her memory? Is her memory okay?" Samuel asked.

"It seems so. She knows her name, her birthday, her age. The last thing she remembers before waking up is being out with Alex which tells me she knows about her life and you all. We've already told her what happened that night and what her condition has been for the past few days. There shouldn't be any surprises for her." he explained and Samuel exhaled his relief. "Alright, guys. Come on in," he told them as he turned to open the door. Sam's heart was still beating quickly and his skin was still warm, but he wasn't afraid. He was overwhelmed with excitement and gratefulness.

His mother was the first to the side of the bed with his father following behind her. Sam stayed back to watch. He didn't want to overcrowd her just yet, they still weren't exactly sure what would happen. Mercedes stood next to him, her fingers intertwined with his while the other wrapped around his arm. And at the sound of Sarah's voice, he felt her squeeze his hand tightly.

"Mama?" she said hoarsely and Sylvia was like a waterfall-her eyes pouring with tears as she laughed. Sam's heart warmed at just the sight of his sister. She was lying flat on the bed, but he could still see her. And looking at her, he could finally see his sister again. Her eyes were low and the rosy red was still slowly returning to her cheeks, but he recognized her now and when she smiled, he smiled reflexively, too.

"Yeah, baby, it's me-it's your mama." Sylvia replied, using her hand to push some of Sarah's unruly curly hair back from her face before resting that same hand on her cheek.

"Daddy's here, too." Samuel said suddenly, grasping her hand on the bed and holding it.

"Where's Alex?" she asked them, and at the words, Sam was transported immediately to the day before when in that very same room he'd almost physically attacked Alex and blamed him for Sarah's condition. When she'd woken up, it had completely slipped his mind to call Alex and his parents hadn't been able to release each other from their embrace to pick up either of their phones. And that was fine, because he realized then that he wanted to be the one to call him. But still, he couldn't imagine what Sarah would think of him if she knew what had happened the day before and he didn't want to find out. So when his mother began,

"He le-,", Sam interrupted her and charged towards the other side of the bed, standing above his sister and looking down at her.

"He's on his way back-he just stepped out to get something to eat. Can't blame him, nobody wants to eat this hospital food everyday," he lied, making subtle eye contact with both of his parents before returning his gaze to his sister and cracking a smile.

"Sam?" she said, her eyes a bit wider as she looked at him.

"Yeah, I'm here," he assured her, taking her other hand in his. "I came as soon as I heard." he told her and she smiled.

"It was only a coma, Sam, you didn't have to come all this way." she replied and he narrowed his eyes at her before they chuckled softly.

"You know he would've come even if you just got a scratch," Samuel cut in and they laughed.

"Really? This coming from the man who forced me to wear knee and shoulder pads until I was twelve whenever I went outside to play?" Sam replied jokingly, earning a laugh from them all. At the sound of Mercedes' giggle behind him though, he was reminded of yet another reason he was so unbelievably happy his sister was alive; so that she could meet the love of his life. He looked back at her for a moment and smiled softly before returning his gaze to his sister. "I brought someone with me," he told her, extending his hand towards Mercedes then.

"Sarah," he began, looking at his girlfriend's face to find her smiling and then back at his sister who was already smiling just as wide-he could tell she already knew. But he would say it anyway; "This is Mercedes," he said.

"Hi," Mercedes greeted simply through an escaping chuckle. "I've heard so much about you," she said.

"Ditto," Sarah replied through a smile. "Is it weird that I imagined us being best friends like, right after we finally met?" she asked, making Mercedes and the rest of them laugh.

"I think it would be weirder if you didn't imagine that." Mercedes said and Sarah chuckled softly.

"Yeah, especially considering we already have one thing in common; we both can't stand this guy," Sarah joked, gesturing very softly with her head to Sam and he smirked.

"Be careful, sweetheart," Samuel immediately interjected, straightening her head again.

"I'm good, Dad." she said just as the door opened behind them. "Is that Alex?" she asked. Sam and the rest of them turned around to find one of the male nurse walking towards the bed and Sam turned back to his sister and shook his head.

"No. I'm gonna go call him, alright? See where he is," he said. "Where's your phone, mom? I don't have his number." he asked. After she told him it was in her purse, he quickly grabbed it and headed towards the door.

"Be right back," he said just before he stepped out.

The password for his mother's phone had always been a combination of his and his sister's birthday month and day and he found that she had yet to change it when he typed it in and the phone unlocked. Quickly finding Alex's cell number, he hit the call button and waited as it rang, trying to decide what he would say. He didn't plan to have the entire conversation over the phone, but he still wanted to be prepared for when Alex arrived.

"Mrs. Evans? Is everything alright? I'm planning to come back today soon, I just didn't wanna upset Sam anym-,"

"Alex," Sam interrupted him, already overcome with shame for scaring Alex away. There was a small pause before Alex spoke again.

"Sam?" he said, clearly confused.

"Yeah, it's me." Sam replied.

"Well is everything alright?" he asked more cautiously this time and Sam nodded before responding.

"Everything is more than alright," he began. "Sarah's awake." he announced.

"What?" Alex replied in shock. "She's-she's awake?" he stuttered, and it was suddenly funny to Sam how everyone had been using that word when really they meant _alive_.

"She is," Sam assured him. "And she's already asked about you." he said.

"She has?" he clarified and Sam could hear the smile in Alex's voice.

"Yeah, she has. So I think you should come back. She wants you here-we _all_ want you here," Sam told him, relieved that the words had finally left him. There was another pause before Alex spoke again.

"Okay. Um, yeah, okay, I actually just passed the hospital to pick up some things from the store so I'll just turn around and head that way." he said and Sam smiled.

"See you soon," he replied just before hanging up.

Sam decided to wait outside of the room for Alex. He didn't want to walk back into the room without him and have Sarah start asking questions. And also because he wanted to be the first one to come into contact with him so he could apologize-it was the one last burden left on his shoulders.

He figured Alex must have been under five minutes away or speeding because it wasn't long at all before he was jogging down the hallway towards the room, slowing down when he sighted Sam waiting by the door. There was something that resembled fear on his face-Sam guessed he was just uncomfortable. He hoped that the conversation they were about to have would soothe that.

"Sam," Alex greeted and Sam smiled gently.

"Alex, I'm gonna make this quick because she's waiting for you in there, alright?" he began and Alex's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he nodded. Sam sighed, all the words he'd strung together in his mind to say just moments earlier suddenly vanishing. So he went with something simple.

"I'm sorry," he said, watching as Alex's eyebrows rose. "I came at you so, so wrong, man." Sam admitted. "Everything was just a blur for me and I snapped. But that's no excuse for the things I said to you. There is no excuse for it." he said. "I knew you were a good guy the second I met you. And I know you wouldn't dare intentionally put my sister in any sort of danger. You were innocent in this, and I'm sorry I made a bunch of stupid assumptions while I was angry." he sighed. "Because I was really angry at myself," he said, finally admitting it to himself. "I always said I would keep her safe. She's been telling me for years that I can't protect her from everything and I never believed her until this happened." he went on, realizing too late that tears were falling down his cheeks to even attempt to hide them. "Anyway I don't even live here anymore," he chuckled out, wiping his face.

"I'm still here, Sam." Alex suddenly replied. "I don't know all the things she needs just yet or what to do when she's having a seizure, which sucks, but I'm learning" he bit his lip and shook his head. "I can protect her though," he promised. "But only from danger and harm, Sam. I won't take the world from her if she wants to explore it." he told him.

"She wouldn't let you anyway," Sam said, making them both laugh because it was true. With his words though, Sam felt comforted. He wanted Sarah to live a full life though he could admit that it terrified him sometimes to imagine her trying to. He realized every time they had a conversation just how good Alex was for her. He wasn't afraid to let her take on the world and even better, he wouldn't leave her to do it alone. "Thanks for coming back," Sam said genuinely.

"Thanks for calling me," Alex returned through a smile. "And I won't say a word to her about what happened," he added suddenly and Sam grinned. "You two have a relationship I'd never wanna come in between." he went on. Sam continued to smile as he looked at him, thinking then that the two of them could be good friends one day.

"Thanks, man." he said offering him his hand and bringing him in for a hug. When they released each other, Sam signaled for Alex to take the lead and enter the room. Upon entering, they found Mercedes and his father sitting down on the couch while his mother sat in a chair right next to Sarah's bed. He could hear Sarah talking softly to Mercedes about her graduation and Mercedes promising to be there which made him smile. Sarah was in the middle of making a joke about leaving Sam home when her eyes landed on Alex as he approached the bed. He didn't say a word to her only leaned down and wrapped his arms softly around her, his face nuzzled into her neck. She reached, wrapping her arms around his neck as much as she could while lying flat on her back. Sam watched as he leaned a shoulder on the wall with his arms crossed upon his chest, returning the smile Mercedes gave him before turning to watch his sister and Alex again.

"Look who finally woke up," Sarah said through a smile after they released each other, peaking all of their interest. "You had me worried there for a little bit," she said and Alex chuckled, seemingly the only one who truly understood the joke as he rested his hand on her cheek. There was nothing but love between them-pure and genuine love that Sam was so happy to know he understood the meaning of.

Sarah fell asleep only moments after that, leaving them all to themselves again. He chose that time to sleep soundly on Mercedes' shoulder on the couch but he was woken up by the sound of laughter a half an hour later. When he opened his eyes and lifted his head from Mercedes' shoulder, his sister was sitting up on the bed a bit, talking with Alex who was sitting next to her with her hand in his and his parents were nowhere in sight.

"Why didn't anyone tell me she was awake?" he asked as he wiped his eyes.

"Daddy said you didn't sleep much last night, we didn't wanna wake you." Sarah replied.

"I don't care. From now on, if you're up, _I'm_ up, alright? Where'd mom and dad go anyway?" he asked. Sarah laughed at him.

"They went to get me clothes from the house. How long are ya'll staying anyway?" she asked, reminding Sam that he only had the rest of this day and the next morning to spend time with her.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair tomorrow." he replied and she frowned for a moment.

"Really? So soon?" she asked. "I guess I am kinda late to the party," she joked, making Sam shake his head. "Alright then fine-if I'm up, _you're_ up." she agreed and Sam nodded as he smiled.

The four of them talked and laughed as the time passed. Sam was so happy to see how well Sarah and Mercedes fed off of each other. They hit it off so well. Sarah was especially intrigued when Mercedes said she was a fashion major. Immediately they went to discussing their favorite stores before somehow getting on the subject of _Scandal_-a television show that apparently they both loved to hate. Another half an hour passed around them as they conversed and within that half an hour, Sarah had fallen unconscious for two to five minutes _twice_, both times in the middle of speaking. It was discouraging and each time, Mercedes squeezed Sam's hand and reminded him that Sarah was fine and that everything would be alright.

She was awake when their parents returned which incidentally was around the same time the doctor came into the room to discuss her new condition.

"Sarah, you're sitting up," he noted as he entered. "Let me look at you," he began, moving towards her, quickly setting up the machine to check her blood pressure. When he found that it was healthy, he moved on to checking her IV's and such. "How are you feeling? Any pain? Mood swings? Anything that feels out of the ordinary for you?" he asked her as he stood above her and she shook her head _no_. "Okay, I'm gonna ask that you try to keep your head still for the next couple of days, okay? I don't need you to be a concrete statue but no shaking or anything like that, alright?" he told her and Sam saw as she began to nod her head but stopped and instead said,

"Okay," making them all chuckle.

"I'm gonna leave a chart on the counter over there with a whole list of things you might experience now that you're awake. Mom and dad, I want you all to keep an eye out for those things, okay? Not because they're threatening to her health but because I want you to know they're normal." he assured them and they all nodded.

"As of right now, you're in good shape. Your brain is building up it's strength at a nice pace and there doesn't seem to be much lingering damage." he went on.

"Lingering damage as in?" Samuel asked.

"Well, some people make it out of the coma alive but with barely any life left to live, you know? They can't walk, talk, or eat on their own anymore. Those are mostly trauma patients though. Now, I need you here for at least another week," he returned to Sarah. "I wanna keep watching your progression and take it from there. Also I'm going to get you some light physical therapy here at the hospital for the remaining week, just to stretch out and straighten your muscles as much as your sustaining condition will let us so we can get you moving on your braces again as soon as possible." he explained.

"Okay," Sarah said again, clearly resisting the innate urge to nod her head. Dr. Edwards smiled tenderly.

"You made it," he began. "We're out of the scary part stuff now because you fought through it like a warrior," he told her and Sam smiled just as she did.

"Thank you for all your help," Sarah replied and he nodded just before he patted her shoulder and headed to the counter across from the door, placing the chart on it before turning to face them all again. "Things should only get better from here,"

Sarah had continued to fall in and out of consciousness throughout the day, and when she'd said she wanted to go to the bathroom, with all three of the men in the room surrounding her, she'd attempted to move on her braces on her own and she'd nearly fell to the ground. But with Alex and Sam's help, she was able to get the groove of it again, if only for that moment. What mattered most to Sam though was that her personality had remained intact. She was still the same girl who could make everyone in the room smile with ease. The girl who took a life that many people would spend their days complaining about and instead loved it with all her might. She was Sarah, his younger sister, _the warrior._

* * *

The next morning, Sam and Mercedes woke in each others arm in his bed. The night before they'd lay together and Sam had told her about his conversation with Alex, thanking her for her advice. And now it was the day they were set to leave. Sam was pulling on his shirt when he suddenly heard Mercedes speaking to him from the bathroom.

"You don't have to go back with me, you know." she told him. "I'd be fine if you stayed back for a while longer to be with your sister." she assured him. Sam appreciated that and he loved how understanding she could be. But the truth was, Sam was fine with leaving. He was fine with it because _finally_ he believed she would be safe without him around. He smiled as he entered the bathroom where she was clipping back some of her natural curls. Slipping in front of her, he leaned on the counter, wrapping his arms around her waist and she smiled softly.

"I'm going home with you," he began. "I love my sister to death. And so does my dad." he said. "But yesterday I found out that we're not the only men who do." he told her and her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Alex is good for her. I can't think of anyone better or any other guy I could ever trust with her more." he said, sliding his hand gently up one of her arms. "I'm going home with you," he repeated and she nodded.

"Okay," she replied simply just before leaning into the kiss he was fully prepared to give her.

Their flight would leave in an hour and a half, leaving them with only enough time to say their goodbyes. In the hospital room, Sam sat at his sister's bedside as they talked while Mercedes conversed with Alex and Sam's parents on the couch. Sam paused mid-sentence after a while though, fanning the air near his nose.

"So just 'cause you're in a hospital you think you don't have to brush your teeth?" he joked and she laughed, nudging his arm with her hand.

"What good are teeth if you're unconscious anyway?" she asked jokingly. But honestly, Sam didn't get the joke. And he was started to get a bad feeling about the way she passed what happened to her off as a punch line.

"What are you doing, Tiny?" he asked her quietly, leaning closer. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Come on, you're funny enough without making jokes about all this." he told her. "Why are you treating this so lightly?" he asked and she chuckled before looking away from him.

"I'm not," she lied.

"_Sarah_," he said. "We both know that's not true." he continued. "Why are you pretending this wasn't serious?"

His sister sighed, silent for a moment too long before turning to look at him.

"For a moment there, I wondered what it would be like to be dead. Right after the doctor told me what happened. I thought how much easier your lives would be if I just," she shrugged. "kicked the bucket," she finished, and Sam cringed immediately.

"Sarah-,"

"But-," she interrupted him. "I realized how selfish of a thought that actually was when I saw all of you here, waiting for me." she continued. "I can't imagine how much you all went through while you waited. Because if it had been you Sam, or Mom or Dad I wouldn't be able to take it." she said, her cheeks glistening with fallen tears. "So I guess now I've just been feeling a little guilty for putting ya'll through this. And I just wanted to be able to make ya'll smile." she shrugged. Sam shook his head, taking his sister's hand in his.

"There's nothing you could ever say or do that would make us smile more than just you still _existing_ does." he told her. "I know I speak for every one in this room when I say that I'm so proud of you for fighting for your life the way you did. And the last thing I want is for you to feel guilty about something that happened to _you_." he continued. "What I want is for you have everything you want out of this life-to be happy and to _live_." he told her and she smiled, squeezing his hand. Sam didn't realize until he looked up at his family that every one in the room had been listening. Just as Sarah started to speak again, Sam's alarm went off on his phone and he grabbed it out of his pocket to silence it.

"That means it's time for us to go." he said an Sarah nodded for a moment before catching herself. He stood and wrapped his arms around her as he chuckled, embracing her for longer than he'd originally intended before pulling back and kissing her softly on the cheek.

"Love you, Sammy." she said and he smiled.

"I love you, too Tiny." he replied.

The goodbyes went by rather quickly then. Sam kissed his mother's cheek and hugged her before hugging Alex once more with Mercedes following in step behind him just before they headed off to the airport with his father.

When they got there, Mercedes hugged his father first and then Sam did.

"Alright so this Alex kid might not be _all _bad news," Sam admitted after they released each other.

"I tried to tell you," Samuel replied through a smile. "Get out of here, don't miss that flight," he told them. "Let me know when you've made it back!" he shouted after them and Sam smiled as he shook his head.

Mercedes slept the entire flight while Sam reminisced over a weekend that he thought would be hell. But instead, he'd learned and accepted things about himself, his sister, and Alex than he ever thought he would. It was a horrible situation, but he firmly believed it all happened for a reason. He couldn't believe it himself but he wouldn't take any of it back. He was _thankful _for it. But most of all he was thankful that his sister's life had not been cut short; that she would be able to live her life, make mistakes, and make memories-that she would be there the day he made Mercedes his wife, and he planned to. He was _thankful. _And he prayed she would never take her life for granted.

* * *

MERCEDES' POV

"This is gonna sound weird but, I _really_ like your sister. Maybe more than I like you," Mercedes said as they entered the apartment back home.

"More than _me_?" he clarified and she laughed.

"Not in that way, but yeah." she told him as they headed for the bedroom with their luggage.

"Why? Because you can't talk about nail polish and _Scandal_ with me?" he asked.

"Exactly," she chuckled, placing her luggage on the bed as her phone started to go off. "I must be getting the text I couldn't get on the flight," she said as she unlocked her cell. There was a message from her mother waiting and Mercedes' stomach hurt at the sight of it because she was sure she could take anymore bad news. And lately, almost _everything _had been bad news. She opened the text with caution and read it with weary eyes.

_Come over for dinner tomorrow? And bring Sam. Got something to tell ya! P.S. Dean is coming. =)_


	28. Chapter 20: The Deal

MERCEDES' POV

"Okay, this is starting to get weird," Mercedes said as she and Sam drove home from the arcade downtown late Friday night, in the front two seats of his car while Alicia and Devon sat in the back. A week and a half ago when she and Sam had returned from Tennessee, she'd received a random text from her mother, inviting her and Sam over for dinner with her and Dean, claiming she had big news. Just a couple of hours later though, she'd texted and canceled, saying she would reschedule. Two days later on Friday, she'd texted her again, she'd invited them over for dinner on Sunday, only to text and cancel again on Saturday. Mercedes had an odd feeling about the situation back then but now her mom had just texted her once more, inviting them over for dinner again tomorrow. It was uncomfortably obvious to Mercedes at that moment that she hadn't actually heard her mother's voice in almost three weeks but she was trying not to be worried since she insisted that it was good news she had to share.

* * *

"What is?" Sam asked as he drove next to her, his eyes darting towards her before returning to the road.

"My mom just texted me about the dinner again. She wants us to come on Sunday now. At first I was kind of excited about whatever it is she has to tell us but now I just think Dean's got her locked in a cave under his house and these texts are cries for help." she said.

"So why would she keep canceling?" Sam asked.

"Stockholm syndrome," Mercedes replied simply, making Sam burst into laughter as he shook his head.

"Maybe she's pregnant and she just doesn't know how to tell you." Devon said from the back and Mercedes smirked.

"My mom's 49 years old and probably hasn't slept with anyone in more than a decade. She's only been dating this dude for like three or four months, I doubt they've had sex. There's a better chance of her being locked in the cave thing to be honest." Mercedes explained and Alicia giggled.

"I guess no man is exempt from this kidnapper scenario you've got going on in your head." Sam said.

"Not one," Mercedes replied as she shook her head and Sam chuckled.

"Maybe you guys should just go anyway," Alicia began from the back. "Even if she cancels again, just go. See what's up. That's what I would do if it were my mom." she suggested and Mercedes nodded as she considered it.

"Actually now that I think about it, she's definitely not pregnant. I would know if she was, it's like I can smell it. Got like a 500 mile radius, too. I thought I smelled it on you a couple weeks ago but it cleared up so you're good," Devon suddenly said, making Sam laugh as Alicia sighed heavily.

"Oh, am I good, Devon?" Mercedes asked sarcastically.

"Yep," he replied.

"Thank you so much," she said, her voice still laced with sarcasm and Sam and Alicia laughed while Devon only reached up and patted her shoulder comfortingly before simply breathing;

"Mhm,", and Mercedes rolled her eyes.

* * *

"We're going though, right? I'm excited to spend time with Momma Jones," Sam said as they entered their bedroom once they were home, immediately pulling his red v-neck over his head and tossing it onto the bed.

"Of course," Mercedes replied, watching him undress as she sat in front of her vanity, starting to take off all her accessories. She'd known from the night they'd met that Sam was sexy and not long after they met, she'd found that he was _talented_. There had been little to no occurrences where she was able to resist him since then, but for this entire week, she'd been trying her best. In the mirror, she watched as he unbuttoned his jeans, revealing the strong lines that led to the place she'd gone too long without visiting, before grabbing his towel from the dresser and throwing it over his bare shoulder.

"Be right back," he announced just before he stepped out of the room and presumably headed to take a shower. Mercedes sighed as she remembered how exactly she'd gotten herself into this unbelievable state of sexual frustration. On the Friday after they'd returned from Tennessee, she'd noticed that the hair on his facial hair had thickened into a full, unruly beard. She didn't like it very much for a number of reasons-some of them being that it was bound to retain an odor eventually, if food ever got stuck in it she might be grossed out to the point of nausea, and because it hid his plump lips that which loved so much. She didn't know if he actually liked it or if he'd just been too busy or lazy to trim it but he didn't seem bothered by it, so she wouldn't make him feel bad about it. She could live with it-though she did have urges every now and then to put clippers to his face while he slept. Most of their conversations about it consisted of her making jokes and him firing back with something equally witty and funny, never was there a serious conversation about it.

On the past Sunday night as they were in bed kissing though, she'd innocently made a joke about her cheeks being on fire and he'd sat up, laughing sarcastically before looking seriously at her.

"You really don't like it, do you?" he asked her as he looked down at her and she squinted one of her eyes before shrugging. "You realize if I shave it off, I'm gonna look like a twelve year old, right?" he said and she laughed.

"I'm not asking you to shave it," she replied and he looked at her incredulously until she sighed under the pressure. "Alright,"w she began as she sat up next to him. "I mean, I'm not asking you to shave it _off_. Every girl can appreciate some good stubble and even a nice short _shaped_ beard but that thing on your face looks like it's trying to eat you." she said, and Sam chuckled.

"You got a lot of jokes for a girl who can't keep her hands off me," he replied, making Mercedes half laugh, half scoff.

"Excuse me?" she replied, one of her eyebrows lifted.

"You heard me." he chuckled out. "You hate it so much but you can't kiss me for ten seconds without moaning," he continued, the last few words falling off of his lips in an intentionally sexual manner. Mercedes was both irritated and utterly turned on. But more than anything, she felt _challenged_. And before she could consider what the words truly meant, she was saying them;

"Maybe I shouldn't kiss you at all," she said, and his eyes narrowed immediately. "Until you shave it." she continued.

"You hate it that much?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I didn't before but now that you ran your big cocky mouth," she shrugged. "No shave, no sex." she said, making his eyes widen a bit.

"I thought we just couldn't kiss?" he replied.

"No shave, no sex." she repeated. Sam's eyebrows twitched before relaxing again and he began to lean towards her. Mercedes' head popped back immediately and Sam smiled shortly as his hand moved to rest on her cheek.

"Last one," he told her, his voice low. And despite the tugging in her stomach, warning her that if she let him kiss her, she would regret ever starting it all in the first place, she shut her eyes and closed the rest of the distance between them. He kissed her slowly and agonizingly so. His lips were soft and flavored with passion, tugging gently at hers as his cool fingertips warmed her cheeks. And when he released her, it felt too soon, like she hadn't gotten enough-and she regretted it all, just like she thought she would because now she was hungry and craving, just as she _knew_ he wanted her to be. But there was no way her pride would allow her to let him finish what he'd started. Afterwards, his hand fell from her cheek and he lay on his side, resting his head on his pillow and pulling the blanket over him as he said;

"We'll see who gives in first,"

Since then, she hadn't been able to tell if he was teasing her every second of the day or if everything he did had always been so insanely sexy, but never had she been more frustrated with herself in her life. Each time his skin touched hers in even the most innocent of ways, her body reacted and she was sure he knew it. He chose casual moments to touch her and in the most casual of ways. She remembered when he'd stood behind her and massaged her shoulders as she cut up peppers at the kitchen counter, while he simultaneously laughed at something on television. She refused to believe that he didn't know that her skin set on fire beneath his hands immediately at the contact-she refused to believe he didn't know the effect he had on her. No, he knew, and he was abusing it.

But what bothered her the most was that it all seemed so easy for him. No matter what she did to tease him, no matter what she wore to bed-even if she wore nothing-he didn't react, only snuggled up close to her as if nothing was different.

Tonight though, as she finished up putting flexi rods in her hair and he returned from the shower wearing only his towel hanging low on his still slightly wet hips, she knew he was teasing her. She grabbed a satin scarf from the top drawer of her vanity, wrapped it around her hair before standing, grabbing her bathrobe from the back of the door and heading for the shower, never allowing herself to look at him as she muttered,

"Still gonna lose," just before she closed the door behind her.

When she returned from the shower-in which she'd spent the entirety of her time thinking of him-he was sitting up against the headboard in only his green pajama pants, his eyes focused on his cell phone, the sounds of guns shooting off roaming from it as he played a game. Never turning to look at him, she pulled out a drawer of the dresser next to the bed, grabbing a pair of panties and a black _Victoria's_ _Secret_ nightie. It hadn't been her plan at first but suddenly she was overwhelmed with the idea of making him want her, making him crave to touch her until he couldn't fight it anymore. So she stood there, never looking back at him, and slowly untied her bathrobe, allowing it to fall from her shoulders, leaving her completely naked and damp. She smiled because she could feel it-she could feel his gaze burning into her back and when she slowly bent over, stepping into her panties, pulling them slowly up her thighs and over her ass, she swore she heard him groan. The small sound sent a chill down her spine and something like pride swirled around in her. She grinned mischievously as she pulled her dress over her head and let it fall over her curves before bending to pick up her bathrobe and quickly placing it back on the hook on the back of the door. She walked back to the bed then, intentionally leaving the light on. She lay on her side, not bothering to pull the already short dress down to cover as much of her exposed legs as she could. Suddenly, his phone fell silent and she felt his weight leave the bed. She watched as he shut the light off and moments later she felt him return to the bed. But unlike all the other nights that week, she didn't feel him behind her. He didn't pull her into him, didn't wrap her in his embrace. She didn't know exactly why but she guessed it was because she'd successfully done what she hoped she had-that she'd turned him on to the point where he could no longer fake his indifference. And when she suddenly felt his hand moving slowly up the length of her thigh, she knew she was right. Moments later she felt him behind her, his erection pressing into the fabric of her dress. Her body felt like it might either be coming back to life or shutting down completely, she couldn't tell but when his lips were suddenly tracing the shape of her ear, she didn't care. She wanted him and finally, it was clear he wanted her, too. He wrapped his arm around her waist, turning her body so that she was flat on her back. His hand roamed slowly up her body until it was resting on her cheek and her skin was hot. She'd missed his touch and the things his hands could make her feel. She had almost completely forgotten about the deal they'd made until she felt his face lowering towards hers and his scruffy beard rubbed against her. It was then that her pride returned and she realized that even if he initiated it, if she had sex with him-as amazing and life-restoring as it would be-he would win and she was lose. So when his lips reached hers, she rubbed her lips up his softly only once before tauntingly whispering through a smile,

"_Sucker._"


	29. Chapter 21

SAM'S POV

Sam watched silently from the edge of the bed as Mercedes got dressed to go to her mother's place. She was slipping a black v-neck over her red lace bra-the one that he distinctly remembered he'd once told her was his weakness-and pairing it with a pair of camouflage skinny jeans that made her ass look good enough for him to sink his teeth into and stylish black combat boots.

But the truth was that for the past week, pretty much anything she wore made him want to pounce. He had only doubted his ability to win for a split second after she introduced the deal. But the first thought that followed his doubt was that of Mercedes calling him into his room on the third day of him taking care of her, guiding his hand to her robe, and pleading for his touch. He didn't think this situation would be any different. He thought he could do it and that by the middle of the week she would be ready to call it quits and he would win. He was quite cocky, admittedly. And the first day had only increased his confidence in himself. He'd gone through the entire 24 hours thinking little to no sexual thoughts of her. But he quickly learned that it had only been due to the fact that he had been too busy to form those thoughts because the second day had been hell. It was a slow day at the office, leaving him with only down time and elaborate thoughts of their bodies intertwined on various surfaces around the apartment. These thoughts weren't new to him in anyway, but the accompany thought that none of those things could be executed with his pride still intact made them all the more exciting _and_ depressing.

Sam had had a fair amount of sex in high school-as much as any popular guy in school would. Like most human beings, he liked sex. He liked it a lot. But even so, he'd been able to go for months without it.

Until Mercedes.

No one had ever been able to bring him down to his knees into a puddle of desire until her. And he hadn't realized just how powerful it was until he was fighting the urge to grovel at her feet-to beg for her to kiss him and touch him. It was all frustrating and it made him downright irritable. He was cranky and even Devon had noticed. Just the day before, the two of them had been sitting at the dining room table eating cereal while the girls were out and about shopping for new maternity clothes. Sam had gotten up in the middle of their conversation about Devon and Alicia's apartment hunting and headed for the kitchen to pour more cereal into his bowl.

"Can you bring me the milk?" Devon asked from the table. Sam hadn't meant to ignore him at first. In fact he'd been in an okay mood until Devon called his name a second time, dragging him out of his thoughts-thoughts that he hadn't even known he had sank into.

"You have legs, don't you?" Sam snapped as he poured _Lucky Charms_ into his bowl.

"Yeah and so do you. And by some _miracle_, your legs just happen to already be _in_ the kitchen so can you ju-," Devon stopped and sighed, watching Sam return to the table after he'd replenished his cereal, without the jug of milk. He stared at him for a moment through narrowed eyes before heading to the kitchen himself.

"What the hell's going on with you, anyway? You're being an even bigger dick than usual and honestly I didn't think that was possible." he said, pouring the milk into his bowl before returning it to the refrigerator and heading back to the table.

"What would you know about big dicks?" Sam fired back rhetorically as his friend sat down at the table again. Devon's hand flew dramatically to his chest as if he'd just witnessed something horrific.

"Jesus Christ, you grow a beard and suddenly you're a goddamned animal." Devon replied in mock horror and Sam only rolled his eyes, fighting the soft smile that pulled at his mouth. "What's up with you, man?" Devon asked. Sam sighed before falling silent for a moment, folding his arms on his chest and staring down at the table, unsure if he wanted to tell him what happened. The truth was he was frustrated and _horny_ and he wasn't exactly sure how pathetic it would sound if he admitted that out loud, even to his best friend. But he could feel Devon's gaze burning into him and when he looked up he found his curious eyes staring at him over the bowl of milk he was pouring into his mouth. He clearly wasn't giving up.

"Alright, fine. Mercedes and I made a deal," Sam began finally, clearly piquing Devon's interests as his bowl returned to the table rather quickly. "She's not into the beard," he told him and Devon's eyebrows rose before relaxing again as he nodded.

"That makes sense," he replied and Sam only attempted to ignore him and continue.

"So we-,"

"You look like a viking." Devon added. Sam shook his head, fighting his laughter before attempting to continue once more.

"So we-,"

"And not even like a cool one either," he interrupted again, and Sam finally broke into laughter, with Devon following only a second after.

"Shut the hell up and let me finish," Sam said through a chuckle. And after Devon nodded and kept his peace, Sam explained everything.

"Aw, damn." Devon said once Sam had finished. "The old no trim, _no trim_." he continued, shaking his head with pity.

"And I thought we were just playing around at first 'cause you know we always go back and forth with each other, no big deal. That's why I made the joke about her moaning," Sam went on.

"I dunno how many times I have to warn you about your smart mouth," Devon said and Sam rolled his eyes at his best friend's parental tone. "Now you're fucked up, huh?"

"I'm pretty fucked up," Sam confirmed and Devon laughed.

"Do you even like the beard?" he asked him.

"I don't _not_ like it. It's just a beard, I dunno. I could take it or leave it." he said.

"So shave it," Devon replied, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as if it was an obvious solution.

"And let her win? Hell no," Sam shook his head. "She'll never let me live it down,"

"And you'll never let _her_ if you win!" Devon shot back in frustration. Sam was quiet for a moment, considering all the truth that held before shrugging. Devon shook his head, standing and heading to the kitchen, placing his bowl in the sink as he added, "Y'all deserve each other," before walking to the living room and flopping down on the couch.

"You like this outfit?" Mercedes suddenly asked Sam as he stared at her from the edge of the bed, interrupting his thoughts. She smiled at him through the full length mirror she was standing in front of across from the bed. "Got some perfectly good clippers in the bathroom. Use 'em and I'll let you take it all off of me." she told him. He laughed, shaking his head before bending to tie up his black sneakers, matching the black graphic tee and dark jeans he was wearing.

"I'll pass," he breathed and she laughed.

"You sure?" she asked him, and when he sat up straight again he found her standing in front of him, her back to him as she continued to examine herself in the mirror-leaving her round behind directly in his face. He had the strongest of urges to pull her down onto his lap, but he knew that was exactly what she wanted. So instead, he stood slowly, allowing his body to slide up the length of hers until he was standing up straight, their bodies still touching. And then he was just playing it by ear.

He slid his hands slowly up the side of her body starting from the top of her outer thighs and stopping just at the curve of her waist, all the while watching her face in the mirror. She didn't look phased at first. But when his hands began to move on her body, he noticed her face soften while her entire body tensed beneath his hands, as if attempting to restrain itself. He laughed internally at her reaction. But it wasn't enough for him. He wanted her to squirm, just as he had Friday night. Watching her bend over naked as he sat on the bed had been torture. Just that Thursday night, he'd dreamed of her sliding up and down on top of him in a tub filled with bubbles and tea candles surrounding them.

_Tea candles for fucks sake. _

He'd dreamed of her body, wet and wanting. So needless to say, after that, any attempt she made at getting him to touch her would leave him putty in her hands. And he had become exactly that. If she hadn't stopped him, last night would've ended it all and if he was being honest he might have gone ahead and shaved just so he wouldn't have to go through all of this again. But it had all been an attempt to tease him, to _persuade_ him. And he'd gone to bed even more frustrated, turned on and even more determined to win than he had been before. So now he wanted her to feel what he had.

He lowered his head until his lips could reach her neck and with his eyes still on her and his hands still on her hips, he dragged his lips slowly across her skin, watching as her eyes lowered and a quiet, breathy sound escaped her-a sound that almost completely wiped his intentions from his memory entirely and threatened to leave him with only his crippling desire.

There was a heat between them that could warm the whole room if need be-a warmth that could only be cooled if they could get their hands all over each other, if their bodies could passionately intertwine again. It would be like salt to fire.

But he had to keep it together, he had to win, no matter how much he wanted to rip her shirt off. And he wanted to, even if just to destroy the insanely sexy bra that rested beneath it.

But no. He wouldn't lose. He had to stay focused.

Sliding his hands slowly up the sides of her arms, he kissed her neck softly, smiling when she leaned her head over to allow him more access as her eyes closed. He pressed his lips softly against skin, successfully ignoring the sweet familiar smell of her skin as it filled his nostrils, causing a tug in the bottom of his stomach. After kissing her neck just once more, allowing his lips to linger for a bit longer, he stopped abruptly, his hands falling to his sides and he moved suddenly away from her and towards the bedroom door instead.

"_Sam_," he heard her call behind him in frustration as he opened the door and exited. And he laughed as he walked towards the bathroom to comb his hair, his ego expanding as he cockily called back,

"Payback's a bitch,"


	30. Chapter 22

Warning: UNFORGIVABLE MESSINESS OCCURS

MERCEDES' POV

From the time she woke up that Sunday morning, she was anxious to get to her mother's house and find out what had been going on. But in the moments where Sam's lips had played against the skin of her neck, she'd been willed to forget-just for those moments. And when he suddenly stopped, leaving her in the room alone with only the lingering heat from his lips and his hands on her body, the anxiety returned along with a nerve irking dose of crankiness. Now the sun was setting and they were riding in the car heading to dinner while she was ignoring Sam as he sang loudly along to Price Tag, refusing to look at him though she could feel his gaze traveling to her every once in a while. Suddenly he reached forward to turn the music down and she cut her eyes to him for not a moment too long to find that he was looking back and forth from her to the road.

"You gonna be mad for a while?" he asked her.

"Yep," she replied simply, though she didn't exactly mean it.

"Not even gonna look at me?" he questioned.

"Nope," she retorted just as simply and she heard him sigh. A short silence fell between them before he suddenly and quite cheerfully said;

"Alright," just before he blasted the music again and began to sing along with it once more while Mercedes fought the laughter rising in her throat.

* * *

"What's this Dean guy like anyway?" Sam wondered as they pulled into the driveway of her mother's house.

"I've only ever seen a picture of him," Mercedes replied as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"Yeah?" he said as he got out of the car. "Is he hot?" Sam asked, opening the car door for Mercedes and she chuckled.

"He doesn't have an animal on his face," she teased as she stepped out of the car and Sam smacked his teeth, closing the door behind her and following after her as she led him to the door. She decided in the car that she wouldn't think too much, that she wouldn't assume anything about what it was her mother had to say because for the most part she'd just been thinking the absolute worse. So instead of attempting to guess, she'd tried her best to silence her thoughts and hope for the best. At least this time they had actually made it to the house before the dinner was canceled. Standing before the door with Sam next to her, she took a deep breath before knocking.

The man who opened the door was clearly the same man from the picture her mom had showed her, but little things were different. His face was no longer cleanly shaven, instead his strong jaw was lightly pebbled with short salt and peppered hairs and his head was shaven completely bald. Nonetheless, he was still very good looking. His eyes were a lighter brown than they'd appeared in his picture and he was much taller than Mercedes had originally thought he was, holding about four inches over Sam.

It wasn't long after she took in his appearance that she was quickly overcome with worry again, wondering why her mother hadn't answered the door herself. Her abduction theory was beginning to seem extremely plausible. She was so distracted by her anxiety that it hadn't even registered to her that Sam and Dean were shaking hands and smiling at each other with such familiarity. When her mind stopped racing for a moment and the audio returned to her life, she heard Sam speak,

"_You're_ Dean? I can't believe it, seriously?" he asked, clearly surprised as they stepped into the house. But frankly, she was too concerned about her mother to even attempt to understand or introduce herself.

"Mom?" she called out as she walked towards the dining room. And relief settle over her when she heard her mother reply.  
"In the kitchen, sweetie!" she called back and Mercedes smiled for a moment before her lips fell flat and her eyebrows furrowed at the sound of the conversation going on between Sam and Dean behind her.

"Wait, do you know each other?" Mercedes asked, turning around and interrupting them.

"Yeah, he works for the marketing company that B&amp;P teamed up with a couple months ago. I made his coffee for a couple weeks and he loved it," Sam said proudly and Dean chuckled next to him.

"He's _iight_," Dean said, his voice deep. Reaching his hand out to Mercedes, he smiled. "I'm Dean," he introduced and Mercedes smiled back, calmed now that she knew her mother was fine.

"Mercedes," she said. "But you knew that already," she added almost to herself and he chuckled softly.

"It's great to finally meet you. Your mama talks about you all the time," he said.

"And why wouldn't I?" Denise suddenly chimed in, approaching Mercedes in a beautiful orange wrap dress with her arms stretched out and a smile on her face. There was something different about her, and she could see it immediately. Her skin was glowing, her eyes bright and her smile more genuine than Mercedes was sure she'd ever seen it.

"How are you, ma?" she greeted as she hugged her.

"I'm wonderful," she replied sweetly once they released each other, and the fact that she didn't respond with "blessed" like she normally would didn't slip by Mercedes for even a moment. "Sam!" Denise shouted happily through a smile moving to hug him next and he laughed.

"Great to see you again," he said as they released each other.

"You, too, sweetie." she replied.

"I see you got a 'lil something going on there," Dean chimed in, signaling to his own facial hair and Sam chuckled as his hand grazed his beard.

"So do you," Sam retorted, referring to Dean's stubble.

"I'm tryin' to get like you," Dean said through a grin, making them all laugh while Sam nudged Mercedes with his elbow and she rolled her eyes. Then she smiled as she watched Dean place his arm around Denise's shoulders, dropping a small kiss on the top of her head.

"Dinner should be ready in five." her mother announced.

Denise had prepared pork chops with gravy, rice, and green beans. The conversation at the dinner table was casual as they ate and Mercedes wondered if she was the only one who could feel the elephant in the room. She just couldn't help wondering when they would find out what the big news was. The longer they went without talking about it, the more curious she became. While she waited though, she learned a lot about Dean. He was funny, intelligent, and completely down to earth. He was the head marketing executive at one of the largest marketing companies in the world and he had two kids-a daughter and a son-who lived in North Carolina where his ex-wife was. He was an extremely interesting person. But what struck Mercedes the most was watching the way her mother looked at him. She was smitten and it was obvious. Mercedes knew that seeing it should have made her happy, but she couldn't help but feel afraid. It was the same way her mother once looked at her father-as if she saw all the best parts of the world in his eyes. And yet he'd still left her, stranded with a kid and no money. It felt impossible for Mercedes not to worry, but she had to try.

"Sam, Mercedes told me about what happened with your sister," Denise suddenly said, and Mercedes looked at Sam immediately, watching as he swallowed and nodded. She knew that it was still a hard topic for him, even though Sarah had made it through. "How have you been?" she asked him, genuine concern in her eyes.

"Alright," he replied. "I call her everyday now though. Probably starting to annoy her," he chuckled and they all joined in.

"Probably. But I'm sure she'd miss it if you stopped." she said. Sam smiled as he nodded, clearly thinking about something. A silence stretched between them all then and Mercedes thought it might be the right time to ask about the big news, but before she could, her mother began to speak again.

"So you made Dean's coffee, huh?" she asked.

"He did more than that," Dean said. "We had a few great conversations. He's got a good head on his shoulders, gonna be an excellent marketing exec one day." he continued. Mercedes eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"But Sam's going into advertising." she said.

"He knows that," Sam chuckled. "Mr. Anderson-,"

"-_Dean_," Dean corrected.

"_Dean_-" Sam began again. "-that's gonna take some getting used to." he said. "_Dean_ thinks I should switch, go into marketing instead."

"He's got all the makings of a great marketing exec; he's smart, smooth talking, intuitive-he's ready. Hell, I even offered him an internship." Dean told them.

"I didn't know that," Mercedes said.

"That's because I didn't accept it," Sam replied. "Advertising's been my dream career all my life. Since I can remember, I've always considered it my passion." he shrugged. And Dean shook his head as he grinned.

"You'll find out real soon kid, you don't choose your passion, it chooses you." he told him and Sam smiled.

"Speaking of _passion_," Denise began, bringing everyone's attention to her. "I'm going back to school," she announced and Mercedes mouth fell open.

"Really?" she shouted in excitement. "That's amazing,ma! I'm so proud of you," she added genuinely, thrilled to know that her mother was finally beginning to do things for herself.

"Thank you, baby." Denise replied through a grin.

"Is that what you wanted to tell me?" Mercedes asked and her mother's smile fell from her lips.

"No, well, that's part of it. The other part is," she exhaled, looking at Dean and smiling before looking back to Mercedes. "We're getting married."

She was sure she hadn't heard her mother correctly. There was no way she had just said she was getting married to a man she had only know a few months, right? She thought this had to be a joke.

"You're getting _what_?" Mercedes chuckled out before taking a sip of her drink.

"Dean asked me three weeks ago and I said yes." her mother said, leaning into Dean's shoulder. "I wanted to tell you sooner, I was just kind of nervous but yeah," she paused, looking up at Dean and smiling."We're getting married."

Mercedes face balled up, confusion clouding her thoughts.

"You've known each other for like a day," Mercedes said.

"It's been months, Mercedes." her mother corrected.

"Which is the equivalent of like a _day_ in terms of marriage. You barely know each other, how are you getting married?" she asked, her eyes narrowed. Denise looked at her boyfriend before returning her gaze to her daughter.

"Mercedes, we love each other and I'm happy. Isn't that what you wanted?" her mother asked in genuine confusion.

"Yeah, of course ma, but getting married after a few months, that's _ridiculous_,"

"_Mercedes_," Sam said, squeezing her hand beneath the table. She looked at him, suddenly irritated by the fact that this wasn't a joke.

"_What?"_ she snapped before turning to look at her mom again. "Don't you think you should be a little more careful about who you just up and marry? Didn't work out so well the first time, did it?" she asked rhetorically, the words hurting even her as they left her. But at the time, she couldn't think of a reason she should take them back. Instead, she stood from the table and stormed to her old room, failing to close the door behind her before Sam's hand slammed against it. She hadn't known he had followed behind her. She groaned, rushing to the bathroom inside her room but he was hot on her tracks, sliding through that door before she could shut it, too. She sighed as she heard the door close behind him

"You could be a little supportive, you know? Or maybe just nice." he suggested as she paced the floor, her arms crossed upon her chest.

"_Supportive_? She's making a mistake so no, _hell no_, I won't support it!" Mercedes replied defensively.

"How do you know it's a mistake, Mercedes? This could turn out to be one of the best decisions she's ever made and plus she's happy, why can't you be happy for her?" he asked. She stopped pacing, moving instead towards him.

"Marriages fail for people who have known each for half their lives, why would a marriage between two people who have only known each other for a few months ever work?"

"_Exactly_! Marriages can fail whether the couple has known each other for years or _days_. Which means there's no advantage either way!" he told her and Mercedes rolled her eyes, walking away from him again but this time he followed her.  
"I can't believe you're siding with them," she said, shaking her head.  
"There are no _sides_, Mercedes." he replied.  
"Yes there are," she retorted, turning to face him. "There's the one where you, my mom, and Dean are and then there's the side _I'm_ on, calling all three of you idiots." she said.  
"Hey, don't call your mom an idiot," he scolded. Scoffing, she turned to face him.  
"Don't tell me what to d-," but she was cut off by his lips suddenly pressing against hers. She was taken by surprise, but she didn't need time to warm up, she responded immediately; her arms reaching up and wrapping around his neck and his hands moved frantically over her waist, her hips, and her behind, almost as if they were unsure of where to land as their lips continued to moved passionately against each others. It was easy to forget where she was when his lips were on hers, sending electricity through every part of her body. It was easy to forget about the bet and winning or losing when his hands were cupping her ass, causing a tug in her sex. It was easy to forget _everything_.

She moaned quietly when her body left the ground and her legs wrapped him, his lips pulling at hers as he placed her on the sink counter-top. She was suddenly overcome with all the desire she'd been bottling up, completely overpowering any nerves or shame she had of the fact that her mother and future father in law were just in the dining room. She didn't care. She wanted to touch him everywhere. After she pulled her lips away from his, she brought his head down closer to her, kissing up his neck, reveling in his scent and the quiet grunt he released when she bit down softly. She smiled, dragging her lips around his ear before swiping her tongue across the lobe and sucking down on it, satisfied by the equally sexy sound of his breath hitching, and the feel of his fingers gripping around her shirt. Reaching down, she unbutton his jeans, her lips moving against his again.

"Mercedes," he whispered as she tugged at his bottom lip, releasing it with a pop.

"Shh," she breathed, pushing his jeans down before covering his lips again.

"We can't," he said quietly as her hands traveled up beneath his shirt before falling back down to the lining of his boxers.

"Shut. Up." she replied through gritted teeth, crashing her lips into his once more, groaning when his tongue entered her mouth. They kissed for a while then with no interruptions and he pulled her hips forward by the back of her knees until she was against his erection and then he groaned, clearly frustrated by the lack of friction allowed through her jeans.

"Shit, why didn't you wear a dress?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry I didn't expect to have sex at my mother's dinner party." she replied and he began to laugh but stopped when she slipped her hand into his boxers. She smiled, watching his head fall back at the touch of her hand on him. Stroking him with one hand, she used her other hand to pull his head back towards her, bringing his lips to hers once more. With her hand wrapped around his length, she couldn't help but wonder how good he would feel inside her after waiting so long. She hadn't originally planned to find out in the bathroom of the house she'd grown up in, but she didn't know if she could wait any longer. She released him, much to his apparent dismay, and took his hands instead, guiding them to the button of her jeans. Looking at her, he shook his head.

"_Sam_," she said and he immediately shook his head once more, clearly recognizing the longing in her voice.

"We _can't_," he told her and she groaned. Leaning up and dragging her tongue along the line of his ear she whispered,

"_Please_," and it was clearly his undoing. Suddenly he was moving quickly, throwing her arms up above her head and pulling her shirt up and off of her, tossing it to the floor next to them. He took one of her breast out of the cups of her bra, leaning down and swirling his tongue around her aching nipple before sucking it into his mouth. Her body was instantly shivering and her fingers dug into his hair. Her mouth instinctively fell open to release a moan, but his hand was covering her mouth before she could and she groaned softly against his hand. Becoming impatient, she went to reach down and unbutton her jeans herself but froze because suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Tsk, tsk. Messy Samcedes is _messy_. Guess this is what happens when you bottle up sexual tension for too long. :P


	31. Chapter 23

SAM'S POV

It was a bad idea; he knew that the minute he kissed her. Stupidly, he'd done it anyway and afterwards, as much as he had tried to convince himself that he could stop, he knew he didn't believe it for a second. When it came to Mercedes, the craving was beyond anything he had ever experienced. In those moments of shear longing, she embodied everything he thought he could ever want, and it was just too hard to turn that down. So there they were, on the counter top of Mercedes' mother's bathroom, just a zipper away from shamelessly having sex, when there was a knock on the door. Mercedes quickly pressed her hand against his chest, moving him backwards so that she could slide off of the counter.

"Mercedes?" Denise's voice called through the door.

"Be out in a second!" Mercedes called back as she buttoned her jeans again and Sam returned his to his hips.

"I'll just be in the living room," her mother said.

"Okay!" Mercedes shouted.

Suddenly all the embarrassment Sam was sure he was _supposed_ to feel before flooded into his warm cheeks. He couldn't believe what they were actually about to do and what they _would've_ done if they hadn't been interrupted. He knew Mercedes was more than likely five hundred times more embarrassed than he was though, so he figured he wouldn't even acknowledge it had occurred.

"But um, yeah," he began again as she adjusted her hair and lip gloss in the mirror. "A little support would be nice," he said and Mercedes smirked.

"You really wanna just try to jump back into conversation after all this?" she asked him.

"After all what?" he replied in mock confusion. Mercedes narrowed her eyes, her arms dropping to her side.

"Really, Sam?" she said and he shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he lied. She stared at him for a moment in silence.

"Okay." she chuckled out finally. Suddenly all the words he remembered he had originally planned to say to her _before_ his desire had taken over returned to him and he started in again.

"Look Mercedes, crazy as it seems, how long have we _actually_ been together?" he asked her.

"About five months." she answered, turning around and leaning on the sink behind her, folding her arms over her chest.

"Five months," he confirmed. "Technically that doesn't qualify as _a long ti_-"

"Yeah, but we're not trying to get _married_," she interrupted.

"Not _yet_," he said and he watched as her eyebrows rose for a moment, her eyes averting. "Alright, don't freak out, I can already see you planning how you're gonna make a break for it. Relax, I wasn't proposing to you." he told her and she only sighed. "All I'm saying is, we've only been together for five months." he began again, pausing as he reached forward and unfolded one of her arms from across her chest, intertwining his hand with hers and using his other hand to bring her gaze to his. "Just five months and already I can't imagine my life without you. Ever." he said truthfully, smiling when she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Do you feel the same? Marriage plans aside. Be honest," he asked and she sighed, falling silent for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, I do." she admitted, sending a bolt of happiness to his core as he grinned.

"Then maybe your mo-,"

"I get it." she interrupted. "I'll talk to her," she said through a sigh before moving to pass him.

"Hey," he said, quickly pulling her back to him because he _needed_ it. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth just one more time before releasing it and she playfully slapped his chest.

"No more of that," she laughed.

"Just for good luck," he chuckled out and she rolled her eyes. Then, shocking even him, she leaned up and kissed him once more herself before turning on her heels and heading for the door.

* * *

MERCEDES POV'

One of her favorite aspects of her and Sam's relationship was the way that each of them knew how to bring the other to their senses. In the midst of her shock and her concern for her mother's future, she hadn't considered what Sam had mentioned. Because it was true, she _couldn't_ imagine what her life would be like without Sam and she didn't want to ever find out. So if her mother's feelings for Dean were anything like her own feelings for Sam, then despite her ill-feelings towards marriage, she could understand where her mom was coming from.

"We were just talking," Mercedes lied as soon as she and Sam met her mother and Dean in the living room, his arm around her shoulders as they sat on the couch. The half smile on her mother's face told her that she knew that was a lie which only made Mercedes face even hotter with embarrassment. But she figured she would take Sam's route and just pretend it hadn't happened at all. "Can we talk, ma?" she asked her.

"Of course," Denise replied. "That's why I came to find you. I wanted to talk to you, too." she said and Mercedes nodded.

"Sam, how about you join me in the kitchen? Help me wash the dishes?" Dean suggested and Mercedes saw Sam nod quickly. She watched as Dean left a quick kiss on Denise's lips before jumping from the couch and heading for the kitchen. Sam squeezed Mercedes' hand encouragingly before following after him. Sighing, Mercedes flopped down on the couch next to her mother.

"So when's the wedding?" she asked, unsure of where to even start with this conversation. Truthfully, even though she knew Sam was right, it didn't magically make her fears disappear.

"I didn't wanna make any official plans until after I told you but, hopefully in a couple weeks. It's nothing big, just a simple ceremony at the church."

"A couple weeks?" Mercedes almost choked out.

"We're not getting any younger, Mercedes." her mother replied. Mercedes sighed, looking straight ahead. "I thought you would be happy for me," she said.

"I am," Mercedes said half honestly, returning her gaze promptly to her mom.

"Really?" Denise asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Exhaling loudly, Mercedes folded her arms over her chest.

"I dunno, ma." she admitted. "I-,"

"Do you not like Dean? I mean, you only just met him tonight," she interrupted.

"No, ma, that's not it. I don't have any issues with Dean. It's just-," she paused, searching for the right words but nothing came to her immediately. She figured she would just start from the beginning and hope the words would come as she went along. "Growing up, I watched you and Daddy get into it all the time. Well really you two weren't even _getting into it._ Mostly it was just him yelling at you about something you didn't do the way he wanted it done and you apologizing. Everyday, I watched you submit to a man who stepped all over you. I listened to you cry from my room on the nights when he left and didn't come home. I watched him break you down constantly and all you ever did was love him." Mercedes said, shaking her head as she avoided her mother's gaze. "But he still left. He left you alone and you were heartbroken for years. I just don't wanna see that happen to you again." she told her, shrugging. "I'm scared." she admitted. It fell quiet between them for a moment when suddenly Mercedes felt her mothers hand beneath her chin, bringing her gaze to meet hers.

"_Us_," Denise said once their eyes met. Mercedes' eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion. "He left _us_," her mother explained and Mercedes didn't understand why her eyes began to water immediately. "It wasn't just me he abandoned. We were a family, he left us both." she continued. "All the fears you have for me-baby, I fought with them everyday of my life since your father left; it's why I never dated." she said. "Your father leaving was painful. But it needed to happen, you know why?" she asked. Mercedes shook her head, wiping the stray tear on cheek. "Because what was even more painful than his leaving was what watching us together did to you." she said. Mercedes' eyes narrowed in curiosity.  
"What do you mean?" she wondered. Denise sighed.  
"Honey, there is nothing wrong with being a strong and independent 's what you are and you're wonderful. " her mother began. "When I was a girl, my mama always taught me _never talk back to your husband. Make sure there's a meal on the table for him when he gets home, keep the house clean, give him as many kid as he wants, do this, do that._ And I always wondered, _well, hell, what is he supposed to do for me?_ And she'd say _he'll be the provider._" Denise continued. "A provider," she repeated through a chuckle, almost to herself. "Those were the roles she taught me a woman should play. I never learned there was anything else to it. I was seventeen years old when we got married. I was a wife before I was even a legal adult. But I thought _that_ was success. I thought that was all it took to be a successful woman. I never even took the time to learn about myself and what I wanted because I was too busy taking care of a man; keeping his house clean, cooking his meals, ironing his clothes, answering to him-doing all these things for him while he went to college and he lived his life. I had no friends, no hobbies, no life. But I didn't see anything wrong with it because I had a _man_ in my life. And I never learned that anything else mattered." Denise explained. "Your father would say horrible things to me-terrible. And it would hurt me so bad. But I thought that was how it was supposed to be." she shrugged. "_Never talk back to your husband_," she mimicked her mother before chuckling to herself. "So it hurt, of course it did. But I never really considered just how bad it was until you were born. Until I was watching you grow into this sweet, beautiful, smart girl and I kept thinking I would _never_ want you to go through those things." she shook her head. "And that was why I decided I didn't want anymore children. Your daddy kept saying how much he wanted me to give him a son. And I thought, _why? So you can raise him to be like you? Nuh-uh._" she laughed. "So I lied to him and I told him I couldn't have kids anymore. I even had the gynecologist tell him so, she was a friend of your aunt's.  
And that was when he started cheating. I could smell it on him when he got home at night. Sometimes he'd stay gone for days. I never met any of the women but I knew there was more than one because they all smelled different on him." she said. "He knew I knew. He didn't care. What good was I when I couldn't give him anymore kids?" she smirked. "I should've just left him. He left anyway." Denise sighed. "My point is, yes, your father hurt me, and yes, I did let him. But nothing hurt more than seeing you build a wall around your emotions because of it. So I'm glad he left because it meant you didn't have to watch us fall apart anymore. But I'm also glad I married him. Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have ever had you. And if it weren't for you, I would never have known how destructive the things my mother taught me were. And I would have never tried to become the woman I was meant to be, even if I'm still figuring it all out today." she said. "I'm not afraid anymore, Mercedes. Because now I know how to be enough for _me_ and I know how to _not_ need a man. And that's why I know that I really love Dean, and I believe him when he says he loves me, too." she continued. "He's so gentle with me and we take care of each other, the way it _should_ be." she said, making Mercedes smile. "I trust what we have. I know it's gonna work." Denise told her, placing her hand on Mercedes' on the cushion between them and squeezing. "Can I just have a little faith from you?" she asked.

Mercedes chuckled, feeling newly informed and utterly relieved. She nodded, reaching forward and wrapping her mother in a hug.

"Of course you can," she said. "Congratulations." she whispered sincerely and she could hear her mother smile.

"Thank you, baby." she replied. "I love you so much,"

Mercedes sniffed as they released each other before drying her damp cheeks. Shaking her head as she looked at her mother because the tears wouldn't stop. But at least now they were happy tears and her fear had subsided. The smile on her face wouldn't let up as she continued to wipe her eyes and Mercedes laughed just before finally replying,

"I love you, too."

Sam and Mercedes stayed at her mother's house for an hour and a half longer to have dessert and talk more. By the end of the night, Mercedes felt even more sure about her mother's marriage, watching the way Dean treated her. He waited on her hand and food and it almost brought tears to Mercedes' eyes because God knows her mother deserved it.

On the ride home, she told Sam about everything she and her mother had talked about, taking comfort in knowing that if it hadn't been for him and his eye-opening words, the conversation may not have ever happened. She hadn't realized just how heavy the burden of her father's abandonment of her and her mother had been on her shoulders until it was lifted. The relaxation she was left with was almost overwhelming and somehow it made the ride home go by even faster.

When they got to the apartment, they found Alicia alone lying on the couch, her protruding belly exposed in her sport's bra, a pillow placed beneath her back as she watched TV.

"Where's your boy?" Mercedes asked as she approached the couch and Sam headed for the kitchen.

"At work. _Still_," she complained, groaning as she sat up.

"You alright?" Sam questioned as he headed towards them, a bottle of water in his hand.

"No, Sam, I'm _pregnant_," she snapped. "What's with the beard? You training to be a viking or something?" she asked and Mercedes laughed while Sam only shook his head.

"You and Devon recycling jokes now?" he asked as he headed towards the bedroom and Alicia chuckled.

"What's up? You okay?" Mercedes asked her and Alicia shrugged.  
"My back's killin' me. Devon's been doing better with the massages but he's taking up double shifts lately so I kinda just have to suffer through this." she said.

"No you don't, girl, I am the _original_ Devon, okay? I was here first, let's go." Mercedes told her, helping her best friend get up from the couch. Alicia laughed as they headed towards her and Devon's bedroom.

"I guess there's really no point in me painting in here anymore, huh?" Alicia said as they entered the room and instinctively Mercedes looked around at the white walls. But she also noticed that things were missing; pictures and decorations that were once on the wall weren't there anymore.

"You already started packing up? Did you find a new place and not tell me?" Mercedes asked, watching as her best friend lay on her side on the turquoise floral patterned comforter covering the queen-sized bed.

"No," Alicia chucked out. "I'm just getting closer and closer and I don't wanna wait 'til I'm too big to be useful when Devon needs my help packing stuff up," she explained and Mercedes nodded, sitting behind Alicia, immediately starting to work her hands into her best friend's sore back. Alicia cringed at the pressure at first before sighing in relief. There was a long silence between them and Mercedes was sure Alicia had fallen asleep when she suddenly spoke. "Oh, guess who called me today?" she asked.

"Who?" Mercedes wondered.

"Brandon." Alicia replied. "Well, _all_ my brothers called actually. They were all together on the phone."

"They're finally talking to you again?"

"I mean, I've talked to them since I told them about the baby but it's just been awkward. They're taking me out for lunch tomorrow though." she announced, bringing a sincere smile to Mercedes' face. She knew how much her brothers' disappointment had been bothering her.

"Is Devon going, too?" Mercedes asked and Alicia laughed.

"They're still not on board with the Devon thing."

"But he's the father,"

"Exactly," Alicia said, making Mercedes chuckle as she pressed her thumbs into Alicia's back and moved the pressure in a circle. "I'm just taking what I can get for now, they'll come around." Alicia half groaned out and Mercedes nodded. "How'd it go tonight? I'm assuming your mama was alive." she joked.

"She's alive, alright. She's getting married," Mercedes told her and Alicia turned her head a bit to look at her.

"_What?_" Alicia almost exclaimed. "I guess she was gettin' it in with Dean after all."

"Huh?"

"Why else would she be getting married to him after a day? He must be working with _somethin_' ." she said and Mercedes gagged as she popped her best friend's shoulder, and Alicia laughed. "I'm just sayin'."

"I don't need the image, damn!" Mercedes replied, her discomfort only strengthening Alicia's laughter. "I-,"

"Hey, Mercedes!" Sam's voice suddenly interrupted her.

"I'll be right back," she said as she got off of the bed.

"It's alright, Devon'll be home soon. I'm ready fall out anyway, you hooked me up." Alicia replied sleepily and Mercedes laughed.

"Night, 'Licia." she said as she headed out of the door.

"Night, 'Cedes." she heard Alicia call back just before Mercedes shut the door behind her. She headed for her room, thinking how much she would miss her best friend once she moved out. But the thought drifted the moment she entered her bedroom because there she found white candles placed on the dresser, the vanity, and one on each of the end tables on either side of the bed. And she also found Sam, standing at the end of the bed, his facial hair cleanly trimmed and groomed, and dressed only in his pajama pants. She smiled as she looked at him, closing the door behind herself before moving towards him.

"Where'd you get the candles?" she asked him.

"I found 'em under sink in the bathroom," he explained and Mercedes nodded, remembering when she and Alicia had bought them during a black out the year before.

"What's the occasion?" she wondered as she stood before him.

"I'm forfeiting," he said and she chuckled.

"I see that," she replied, placing her hand on his cheek. "It's too bad, it was just starting to grow on me," she told him.

"Really?"

"No," she laughed. Sucking his teeth, he bent his knees quickly, throwing her over his shoulder and she giggled as he placed her on the bed. Before her head even touched the mattress though, somehow his lips were on hers, moving against them fervently and she immediately moaned at the contact.

And then they picked up where they left off in the bathroom, wasting no time. She pulled off her shirt while he removed her pants, simultaneously they threw each article of clothing to the floor next to them. She unclasped her bra quickly and allowed it to join the rest of her clothes as he began to pull down her panties.

"Can I make a suggestion?" he asked.

"You're gonna make it anyway," she replied.

"_Stop_ wearing these," he half growled as he threw her underwear behind him and she laughed. But that laugh quickly turned into a moan when his tongue went suddenly all the way up her slit. He moved his mouth and his tongue skillfully against her sex and it wasn't long before her legs were shaking, her climax approaching. Suddenly she closed her legs, reach down to push his head away and he looked confusedly up at her. She reached over to the nightstand next to the bed, pulled a condom from the drawer and handed it to him.

"Just put it in," she told him.

"No foreplay?" he asked as he took the condom from her.

"Waiting this long _has_ been foreplay. Please," she moaned and he laughed as he sat up. She watched as he pulled down his pajama pants, her body responding to even the _sight_ of his erection as he slid the condom over it. Only a moment later he knelt into the bed, pulling her hips towards him by her thighs before folding her legs back. And then he was sliding into her, a hoarse moan immediately falling from her lips and her fingers curling around the sheet beneath them as waves of pleasure swept through her, the look on his face only increasing their strength. He filled her over and over, the sensation rocking her entire body until she was panting. Her skin was sensitive to his every touch, her legs beginning to shake as her climax raced towards her. She wrapped her hands around his wrist, her nails digging into them as she bit her bottom lip to restrain the moan beating at the back of her teeth. The anticipation they'd both been battling with over the past week pushed them both off the cliff faster than they had ever fallen. Sam swore as he came and Mercedes half laughed, half moaned. After he pulled out, leaving her with a lingering sensation he fell backwards and lay on his back in the opposite direction of her and she could hear him panting.

"I guess you win," he said and she chuckled as she shook her head.

"Let's call it a truce."

Okay, guys. Things are gonna move pretty fast now, just a forewarning. We're getting closer and closer to the end! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I loved writing it, it's one of my favorites. Leave your thoughts! :)


	32. Chapter 24: The End

As I said before, things are going to move pretty fast. So there will be multiple time jumps in this chapter. Enjoy! :)

TIME JUMP

At eight months pregnant, Alicia was finally able to find an apartment with Devon. It was a two bedroom apartment with high ceilings and a nice kitchen and the dining room were all one room while the living room was directly adjacent to them. The two bedrooms were down a hallway just straight ahead from the front door, past the living room. They were on opposite walls of each other with the bathroom at the end of the hall. Mercedes and Sam hadn't seen it until the day they helped them move in but Mercedes loved it on sight. There were kids playing outside-riding bikes and swimming-their parents at their sides or not far behind, watching them, smiling and laughing together. It certainly did seem like a place to raise a child and something stirred inside of Mercedes that she couldn't identify as she examined it.

Mercedes and Sam had come to help, but Mercedes had explained ahead of time that they couldn't stay all day because her mother's wedding, finally, after almost two months of pushing it back once she'd realized that she actually did want it to be a bit of a big deal, was the next day. Mercedes wasn't one hundred percent sure how she felt so she decided not to think too much about it at all.

Moving day mostly consisted of Alicia sitting down on the foldout chair in the middle of the living room, telling Mercedes, Sam, and Devon where to place the couches, chairs, and tables in the dining room and living room. Unfortunately. there was a no paint rule in this particular complex so instead, they used wallpaper for the baby's room. Mercedes and Alicia worked around the room placing the pink and white striped patterned wallpaper with gray cartoon elephants on the walls as they conversed. Elsewhere, Sam and Devon brought the rest of the furniture inside.

Later, Alicia and Mercedes went to the store to pick up a few more decorations for the baby's room while Sam and Devon stayed back. They took a break and sat at the table for a bowl of cereal where Devon told Sam more about what they planned to do with the apartment. Sam listened in and nodded and asked questions when appropriate. Frankly though, he was tired. But it didn't show, until he yawned. Devon stopped mid-sentence then and his neck snapped back.

"I'm sorry, asshole, am I boring you?" he asked. Sam sucked his teeth.

"No, man, I'm just tired," he admitted just before he gulped down the milk left in his bowl.

"What are you tired from? You don't have a kid to take care of," Devon replied. Sam's eyes narrowed as he placed his bowl back on the table.

"Okay, first of all, neither do you, yet." he began, pausing to wipe his mouth with his hand. "And secondly," he shrugged, "I had a late night with Mercedes," he said smiling to himself as he remembered the impromptu sex they'd had the night before when she'd woken him up at four in the morning claiming she couldn't sleep. Afterwards, they'd stayed up talking and hadn't slept since. "You wouldn't now anything about that anymore though," he said as he stood from the table, patting his friend's shoulder in pity before moving to drop his bowl in the sink.

"Are you kidding me?" Devon began and Sam turned and leaned his back on the counter, his arms crossed upon his chest as he looked straight ahead at Devon. "I know more about that than you ever will, son."

"Son?"

"In the beginning of her pregnancy, Alicia couldn't be stopped, bro. It was like she was in heat. It got to the point where I had to be the one to say no." he told him and Sam shook his head.

"Sounds like hell," he said sarcastically. Devon's head cocked to the side and his eyes narrowed at Sam as he headed towards the sink with his empty bowl.

"What are you saying? It was fucking fantastic."

When the girls returned, they finished up the baby's room. Everything was in place except the crib, which Devon was in charge of building. Sam and Mercedes left around seven in the evening. They ate a quick dinner, showered, and then, exhausted, they spent their first night in their apartment, sleeping.

THE WEDDING

As Denise had said, the wedding was held at small church and the decorations were understated, yet beautiful. On the outside of each pew, there was white satin tied around the arms of the chairs and small bundles of white tulips cleanly attached to them. Next to every other pew, there were long coil like poles with strings of green leaves wrapping around the entire length of them, leading up above the heads of the guests to a wide, curving wooden surface that was covered in dozens and dozens of those same white tulips. It looked like something Mercedes could easily imagine her mom thinking up.

Denise and Dean had decided against a wedding party so it would just be the two of them standing at the end of the aisle. With it being such short notice and with most of Dean's family living in North Carolina, not many people were able to make it. Mercedes was oddly happy about that. She didn't want to have to go through too many introductions and such. There were about two handfuls of her family members there and the rest were strangers but combined there were probably a total of thirty five people present. It was intimate and sweet and it held something that many weddings lacked these days-tradition.

Dean's family members were a little more reserved than Mercedes was used to but they seemed nice. Well, everyone except his daughter. She met her first and it had not been as pleasant as Mercedes had originally imagined it would be. Immediately, she struck her as the type to pour Nair in your shampoo bottle if you crossed her. Her eyes were light brown like Dean's, her hair cut into a short style, curled in various places, her eyebrows thin and strongly arched, her cheekbones sharp, and her lips looked to be permanently in a scowl. Mercedes recognized her on sight from the pictures Dean had shown her a couple weeks ago when she, her mom, and him had had lunch together. She happened to be smiling in that photograph and a bit younger. Maybe now, life had made her reluctant to smile.

"You must be Kendall," Mercedes had said as she approached the young woman in the lobby area, a friendly grin on her face. The taller woman looked slowly up and down the length of Mercedes before responding.

"And you are?" she'd replied.

"Mercedes," she'd said. "I'm Denise's daughter. " she'd explained.

"Oh, right." Kendall breathed plainly.

"I thought anyone could tell on sight. They look almost exactly alike," Sam interjected through a smile. Silently, Kendall looked at him for a moment that seemed to last for much too long before speaking.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Sam. Mercedes' boyfriend." he'd told her, his smile pleasant and friendly, just as Mercedes' had been, as he reached his hand out to her. And that was the first time they saw Kendall's teeth when she suddenly burst into a fit of short laughter.

"Boyfriend?" she repeated. They watched as her eyes landed on their interlaced fingers before her gaze returned to theirs and she shook her head. "What would your daddy think?" she asked Mercedes, and Sam chose that moment to drop his waiting hand. It didn't take long for Mercedes or him to understand what she meant but unlike Mercedes, Sam wasn't immediately irritated, he remained calm for the sake of the occasion and because he was finally learning to control his temper. He could feel Mercedes' anger though, instantly bouncing from him to her and he put himself on guard quickly, listening intently, ready to get her away if things got too intense.

"My father lost the right to think anything of me when he left. His opinion is on the list of the things I couldn't care less about. Right above yours," Mercedes snapped. Kendall continued to shake her head, only increasing Mercedes' annoyance. This wasn't the first time someone had blatantly judged their relationship because of the difference in their races-rather it be through staring, head shaking, eye rolling, etc.-but never had anyone involved her absent father. It pissed her off beyond expected and it didn't matter to her that Kendall hadn't known her father wasn't around, the entire comment was ignorant from the beginning. "Girl, don't you love yourself at all?" Kendall asked and Mercedes' neck snapped back.

"Excuse me?-"

"Alright, let's go," Sam cut in, interrupting Mercedes, grabbing her by the crook of her elbow and pulling her along with him towards the inside of the church.

"It's two thousand and fucking fourteen, Sam." she growled, her blood boiling.

"I know, baby. And as much as I would've loved to hear you stomp her into the ground, this is your mom's wedding. I know you don't wanna be the reason her day goes down hill." he said, his hand sliding down from her elbow, past her wrist and intertwining their fingers. Mercedes sighed, knowing full well that he was completely right. She felt her blood pressure beginning to return to normal as his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

"Okay," she breathed once she was calm.

"You alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Mhm," she replied nodding, and adding a smile to relax his tense eyebrows. "Come on," she said, tugging him along through the open doors leading to the sanctuary, deciding very quickly that she couldn't endure anymore introductions, at least until after the ceremony.

She had yet to see her mother that day. Throughout the preparation for the wedding, she hadn't been present for much of it besides the search for her mother's wedding dress. But then, no one was present. Denise expressed openly that she wanted to do it alone-that she wanted to make the day special for the two of them in her own way and on her own, with no outside opinions to sway her because admittedly, she was easily swayed. Quietly, Mercedes sat on the second row of the pews, staring down at the fabric of the soft pink A-line mid-length dress she was wearing. Her thoughts were scrambled even as she was sure everything would be fine. She wanted her mom to be happy, she really did. And she appeared to be truly happy, but for how long? Mercedes hated that negativity was threatening to overwhelm her on her mother's day but she couldn't help it. Her skin was itchy with it, as if tiny menacing bugs were crawling all over her. It wasn't until she felt Sam's hand rest softly on top of her knee that she felt them immediately evaporate.

"Stay here," he told her softly. Confused, Mercedes eyebrows pulled together as she looked at him, finding him already looking at her. "Leave the future where it is," he said before repeating, "Stay here,"

He'd read her mind, proving once again that he knew her better than anyone. It was the sort of thing that made her want to fold herself in his arms and breathe only him for a while. But since they were inside of a church, she simply intertwined her fingers with his and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sam was starting to think it wasn't a coincidence that they kept ending up at weddings together. He smiled when her head landed on his shoulder, kissing her hair softly before taking in the scenery of the wedding. It was breathtaking but not overwhelming. He wondered if it had ever crossed her mind what their wedding would look like. He still wasn't even one hundred percent sure that she was on board for marriage but he prayed to God that if she was, he would be the one who got to put the ring she would wear for the rest of her life on her finger.

A few people that Sam recognized from Erica's wedding came up and spoke to them and he was so glad that Mercedes greeted them by name before they moved on to speak to him because he had completely forgotten them. He wondered if Marcus would be there but he doubted it since the wedding was set to start in the next five minutes and none of Mercedes' younger relatives besides Erica and her husband seemed to be there. He understood though when he remembered that not many of them lived there. But still, it didn't seem like many people were showing up at all, not that there was even enough room for too many people. Nonetheless, he wondered if Denise's family supported her fast marriage.

"I hope your pinky promises are worth something, Evans." Mercedes suddenly said just as the pianist began to play a slow ballad. Sam smiled, remembering that morning when he'd promised that this wedding would be much better than the last one they'd gone to.

"If I'm wrong, I'll cook dinner for a week," he said and she chuckled.

"Deal,"

When Dean walked down the aisle in a classic wedding tux, the crowd erupted, clapping and a young man who resembled Dean loudly whooped. Sam guessed he was his son. Sighing, Mercedes squeezed Sam's hand when the music for the bride's entrance began to play.

"Here we go," she breathed as they all stood.

Looking back as the doors opened, Mercedes wasn't sure what she would feel. But when her mother stepped through them, immediately her eyes began to water. Her dress was off white with floral lace and it stopped just below her knees. It was simple, classy, and elegant, much like Denise was. Her hair was curled into spirals, stopping just above her shoulders. She looked beautiful and the smile on her lips was infectious. Soon Mercedes was smiling, too even as tears fell from her eyes. Her fingers were clasped tightly together, her shoulders leaning onto Sam's chest and she was almost afraid that if he moved, she would fall. She laughed when her mother looked at her and blew her a kiss. Then suddenly, she remembered Sam's instructions during Erica's wedding-look at the groom. And so she did. Her gaze traveled back to the front of the church and landed on Dean, whose teeth seemed to be completely exposed in a smile that reached all the way to his eyes. The happiness that they so openly shared, the love that they so clearly had for each other, was calming to her; it relaxed her. But still, the tears wouldn't stop.

She hadn't intended to cry but her intentions were worthless as she found herself crying for the entirety of the ceremony. After Dean's vows, though, there were almost no dry eyes left in the room so at least she wasn't alone. Except she wasn't sure if they were all crying for the same reason because she wasn't at all sure why she was crying. She was happy for her mother so she could easily attribute it to that, but she could feel that there was something else as well and she had a small clue of what it was, but it was best that she try to ignore it. Sam thought he may have understood, too. But he didn't say a word, only kept his fingers interlaced with hers, squeezing her hand every once in a while to remind her of his presence.

After the ceremony, they all walked just next door to where the reception was held. The decorations were almost identical to Erica's in that they were traditional and simple, only instead of gold and white, the theme was silver and white. Mercedes stepped into the bathroom to fix her make-up and check her eyes for swelling before she and Sam sat a table with Erica and Kevin.

"Still married, I see." Mercedes joked as she hugged her cousin.

"Still attached at the hip, I see." Erica fired back, nodding towards Sam as she took her seat next to her husband. Sam laughed.

"She's obsessed with me," he said and Mercedes playfully slapped his shoulder as she sat down next to him.

"You wish, Evans." she replied.

She was happy to see that her cousin and Kevin were just as in love as before; his hand wrapped around her shoulder, whispering something in her ear every once in a while that made her laugh. They all talked about how beautiful the wedding had been and Erica asked various questions about Dean. Mercedes was relieved then that Audrey hadn't made it to the wedding. If she had, undoubtedly Mercedes would have been subjected to an abrasive interrogation about the man that she'd only herself known for a couple of months. She loved her cousin but she was glad she didn't have to deal with that.

It didn't take long for Dean and Denise to join all their guest in the reception hall. Hand in hand, they walked in, Denise looking up at him and laughing at something he'd said that they couldn't hear over the music playing. Mercedes smiled as she watched them. They walked to the front of the room and stopped, turning to face the crowd as everyone cheered and the music suddenly stopped. Denise grabbed the mic from the stand near them, tapped it twice before speaking into it.

"We just want to thank everyone of you for coming to be with us on this very special day," she began, only inspiring another round of applause.

"This beautiful woman means the world to me and I'm glad you all were here to witness this incredible day in the long life we plan to have together," Dean added, smiling down at his wife simultaneously.

"We hope you'll dance and have fun and please help yourself to the buffet table." Denise said, just before waving and putting the mic back on the stand and heading to their table at the front of the room. Mercedes' gaze followed them, finding Kendall and presumably Dean's son already sitting at their table. Something like jealously bubbled up in her core until her mother suddenly waved her down and gestured for her and Sam to come over. She was reluctant considering the run in she'd had with Kendall but she hadn't realized it was noticeable until Kevin spoke up.

"What's up, you don't like this guy?" he asked. She shook her head quickly, internally cursing herself for being so transparent.

"No, no, Dean's cool." she replied. "It's-,"

"-his daughter with the stank ass bitch face?" Erica chimed in and Sam snorted.

"How'd you know? Did something happen between you and her today?" Mercedes asked.

"No, I haven't even met the girl. She's just been staring at you this entire time like she wants to set you on fire," Erica noted. Mercedes' eyebrows rose before she and Sam turned to look back at the table, confirming that Kendall was indeed staring, that same annoying scowl playing on her lips. Only now it was sort of funny to Mercedes as she turned back to look at her cousin, chuckling.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Erica asked.

"She's mad that our skin tones don't match," Sam explained and Mercedes nodded before telling them about the conversation she'd had with her earlier. Once she was done, Kevin's eyebrows furrowed while Erica's eyes narrowed.

"It's 2014," Erica replied and Mercedes threw her hands up.

"That's what I said!" she half shouted.

"I didn't even know people still placed limits on love like that," Kevin said, shaking his head.

"And what the hell she know about your daddy?" Erica snapped. Mercedes could only laugh. It was always interesting to her, watching Erica and Kevin around each other. They were so different and not just in subtle ways. Kevin was quiet, reserved, and soft-spoken. While Erica was loud, outgoing, and beyond outspoken. Their relationship had always gave truth to the opposites attract theory. But it was no wonder her fell for her, she kept him laughing.

"Is she still looking?" Mercedes asked.

"Mhm," Erica replied while Kevin silently nodded. Sam turned his head only slightly, finding her gaze in the corner of his eye before turning to look at Mercedes, as a thought crossed his mind.

"I have an idea," he said to her.

"Wha-," she was cut off when his mouth suddenly crashed into hers, his hand cupping her face as his lips tugged at hers. She was taken off guard, but she understood the purpose immediately. She was a bit uncomfortable with such displays of affection in front of her family but she just hoped no one was paying much attention. All that mattered is that Kendall was. When their lips parted again, Erica and Kevin whooped and clapped along with the table of a few women who looked younger than they probably were next to them that Mercedes didn't recognize. She laughed and nudged Sam's shoulder with her own as her cheeks began to warm.

"She looked sick!" Erica laughed out and Sam and Kevin chuckled. Mercedes felt a sense of something that resembled pride as she imagined the look on Kendall's face.

"Now I'm ready to go over there," she said.

They walked together to join them at the table where Dean immediately stood, shaking Sam's hand and hugging him all at once.

"Congratulations, sir." Sam said. Mercedes focused on her mom, who stood as well, wrapping her daughter in a hug and kissing her cheek repeatedly.

"I'm so happy for you, mama." Mercedes said into her embrace. "You look beautiful." she told her.

"Thank you, baby." Denise replied as they released each other. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." she said. And Mercedes had truly forgotten the role she'd played in this after she'd persuaded her mom to try online dating. She finally understood what her mother had meant when she'd said, "You've done more than enough," after she'd asked her if she needed any help with the wedding preparations. She finally understood.

"Mercedes," Dean suddenly said and Mercedes smiled as she looked at him, moving to hug him shortly. "I want you to meet my kids," he told her and Sam after he'd let her go, holding onto her hand though. She was used to this now even in the short time she'd known him. Dean was a _toucher_. He gestured to the young man at the table who stood almost on cue. "This is my son, Dean," he introduced.

"DJ," the young man corrected as his hand extended first to Sam.

"DJ, this is Mercedes and this is Sam." Dean went on as Sam and DJ shook hands before he went on to shake Mercedes' hand. Immediately, Mercedes noticed that he was different from most of Dean's family that she'd met already. He was more lively, more open. She'd liked him immediately.

"Nice to meet you, man." Sam said.

"Back atcha, bro." DJ replied as he took his seat again, rocking to the beat. Dean shook his head as he smiled at his son before beginning again,

"And this is Kend-,"

"We've met," Kendall interrupted sharply, her arms folded over her chest and her nostrils flared. She didn't stand. Sam folded his lips in to restrain his laughter. And Mercedes smiled.

"Yes, we have. She's lovely," she said in a sweet tone, knowing only Kendall would know she was mocking her, just before they all took their seats. The small crowd retrieved their food from the buffet table and Mercedes started to wonder when they would eat until she looked down and saw that their plates were already set right in front of them. So they talked and ate, while learning more about each other. Kendall didn't say much and Mercedes enjoyed watching her squirm every time she or Sam spoke. They learned that DJ was exactly what his name said; a DJ. A New York DJ to be exact. The words New and York piqued Mercedes' interest immediately as anything New York related usually would.

"Do you play gigs or do you have a steady thing?" she asked him.

"Both," he replied. "I work Monday through Friday at The Towers on 54th and on the weekends I do gigs." he explained and Mercedes nodded.

"I'm planning to move to New York after I graduate," she told him, and something tugged at Sam. He already knew that, he'd known that from the day they met. But on the day they met, he hadn't known he was talking to the girl he would soon want to be with for the rest of his life.

He hadn't known.

DJ went on to tell Mercedes about certain places she should check out while Dean attempted once again to convince Sam to consider the marketing field with Denise listening in and laughing. Kendall was quiet, looking at her phone or just looking off, participating in no way. She was clearly miserable but Mercedes couldn't find it in her to feel sorry for her.

After a while though, their conversations were interrupted when Mercedes' Aunt Debra took to the middle of the room, the mic in her hand and announced the first dance. Dean stood, extending his hand to his wife, kissing the back of her hand as he brought her to her feet and she giggled. He led her to the front of the room as Brian Mcknight's Back at One began to play and the lights dimmed. Mercedes couldn't help but smile as they swayed, talking softly to each other and laughing every once in a while before her head would rest again on his chest. Sam grinned as he instead observed the look on Mercedes' face. The day had had its ups and downs already and for most of it, he'd been genuinely worried about her. But in that moment, she looked happy; serene even. He leaned in, his arm around the back of her chair, and kissed the highest point of her ear softly before whispering,

"I love you," and this time it wasn't for show.

When the song ended, Dean kissed Denise softly on the lips as the room clapped and cheered. With the lights returning, Denise and Dean headed back to their seats and Debra grabbed the mic again.

"Beautiful!" she shouted and the crowd erupted again, surprisingly loud considering how little people were present. "Can I just say," Debra began again once the room was quiet, "how happy I am for my sister," she said. "I know how much you've wanted this even though you never asked for it. And you deserve it, Niecey. Congratulations!" she said. Small applause followed and Denise blew a kiss to her sister.

"At this time, we'd like to leave the floor open for anyone who may have something to say to the happy couple," Debra announced. The room fell silent then and no one immediately jumped. Somehow, Mercedes felt like this was specifically meant for her. She didn't know what she would say or how it would come out but she knew she had to say something. So she stood with butterflies violently fluttering in her stomach and with Sam watching her in shock as she headed towards her aunt, who hugged her, and then placed the mic in her hand. She cleared her throat as her eyes unconsciously followed her aunt back to her seat. She cleared her throat again before she began to speak.

"For reasons that many of you know, growing up it was just me and my mother." she began, looking around the room, though she wasn't sure if she was actually seeing any of the faces. "The gist of it is my dad left us when I was eleven and he never came back." she explained, allowing the words to just fall from her. "After that, my mom and I, we were each others rocks. She took care of me when I was sick, I did the same for her. We cooked together, we shopped together, we did everything together, and we talked about everything. She was my very first best friend." Mercedes said and the crowd softly awed. "And as her best friend but also as her daughter who," she paused, "who witnessed the downfall of her first marriage, who heard her crying at night, night after night, this-her getting married again-terrified me." she admitted. "The thought of her being hurt again terrifies me." she said. "But from the moment I saw the way Mr. Anderson looks at her," she shook her head. "I knew I had nothing to worry about." she said, smiling as she looked over at him and her mother. "I wish you both all the happiness in the world together. But from the way you two look right now, you might already have that." she said and the crowd chuckled and clapped as she moved to put the mic back on the stand. Dean and Denise stood and hugged Mercedes once more. When she sat down, Sam placed his hand on her knee and looked at her. He was having one of those moments where her beauty seemed to be emphasized and the pride he had in her and what she'd just done lit a fire in the love he felt for her. His next words weren't accidental or unplanned, they were what he'd be thinking the entire day and even months before now.

"I'm gonna marry you," he said and she only smiled, shaking her head.

After that Dean's best friend said a few words, then DJ, and one of Denise's close friends. Later, there was a bit of dancing, bouquet and garter throwing and then the wedding was coming to an end. The room had cleared out, leaving Mercedes and Sam, Dean's kids, and the newlyweds. Mercedes was hugging her mom again as both Deans and Sam talked. Kendall was sitting alone at a table, talking to someone on her phone.

"I love you, baby," Denise said.

"I love you, more." Mercedes replied. She wanted to tell her to stay strong, to stay independent and stay true to herself. She had to remind herself that it wasn't necessary this time-that Dean was one of the good guys. So instead, she kissed her cheek and told her, "Have fun on your honeymoon."

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Mercedes, if you actually think Spongebob is a childrens show, you haven't been paying attention." Sam said as he washed off the chicken breast in the sink, looking over at the TV where Spongebob was being viciously slammed around in a bag by a gorilla. Mercedes was opposite him at the counter, slicing the green and red peppers for the Cajun chicken pasta they were getting ready to prepare.

Mercedes laughed.

"Sam it's still a childrens show 'cause kids don't get it like we do. Do you have any idea how many innuendos we missed in some of the shows we watched as kids?" she replied.

"Exactly! Why even put them in shows that are supposed to be for children?"

"Because otherwise the parents would be bored out of their minds," Mercedes said. Sam considered it for a moment before nodding and accepting it.

"But sti-," the sound of his phone cut him off. "Still," he began as he washed his hands before moving to grab his phone from the living room ottoman. "I think subconsciously, the kids do get it and that's why children are demons now-a-days-Hello," he greeted, neglecting to check the caller ID. But he didn't need it, because as soon as he heard the voice and the words that voice spoke, he knew who it was and exactly what was going on.

"THE EGG IS HATCHING!" Devon shouted in a tone that sounded like panic through the phone and Sam almost dropped it as both shock and excitement shook through him. His next words were the ones that caught Mercedes' attention. "Which hospital?"

The food was suddenly unimportant. They quickly wrapped everything back up and shoved it in the fridge before rushing out and towards the hospital fifteen minutes away.

"Holy shit, this is happening!" Sam almost yelled as he drove, a smile puling at his lips.

"I know, I know!" Mercedes replied, just as giddy.

"I feel like we're having a baby," Sam said and Mercedes laughed.

"Alright, slow down, there, pal." she told him and he chuckled.

"I'm gonna get a baby outta you one day," he declared and she shook her head as she smirked.

Devon had instructed them to wait in the waiting room on the second floor and so they did.

Sam had voluntarily brought his camera, determined to document this moment. Because he'd meant what he'd said-it really did feel like they were all having a baby. He felt so close to her already and she hadn't even made it out of the womb yet.

"Say hi to Avery," Sam told Mercedes, turning the camera on her next to him. She smiled and waved.

"Hey baby Avery!" she greeted the camera. "We're here waiting for you and I'm so excited to meet you!" she said. "Oh and I decorated your room, by the way. You're gonna love it," she added with a wink.

"Okay, my turn, my turn," Sam muttered as he handed the camera to Mercedes. When the camera was set on him, he smiled.

"Hey there, Ave! Stoked to meet you, baby girl!" he said. "By the way can I just apologize in advance for your dumbass da-."

"You can't curse in the baby's video, Sam!" Mercedes scolded.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." he laughed. "Anyway, get outta there already! We're all ready to spoil you rotten." he told her just before he waved again.

"Aw," Mercedes said as she handed him the camera back. "Sam, you're a baby person." she noted, truly only just now realizing it.

"Yeah, yeah." he shrugged off just before placing the camera on her again. "So Mercedes,"

"Hm?"

"What do you think our kids would look like?" he asked her. He wasn't exactly sure if he was curious or if he just wanted to know if she had any interest in having children with him.

"Is this going in the video?" she wondered.

"I dunno, maybe." he replied. "What do you think they'd look like?" he asked again. Mercedes shrugged.

"Weird, probably," she replied, half seriously. Sam shook his head.

"Beautiful." he corrected.

"Both," she said and he smiled, allowing the camera to fall and rest on his leg before leaning in and softly kissing her on her lips.

"I'll take that." he replied.

They ate a couple sandwiches down at the cafe that were quite disappointing compared to the dinner they had planned but they could get over it because of the occasion.

A couple hours passed with Sam asleep on Mercedes' shoulder for one of them. In that time, she thought more seriously about what their kids might look like. What she saw imagine was beyond beautiful and in the most interesting way. She was suddenly excited to find out if her imagination could be accurate. For now though, just witnessing the development and childhood of Avery would be enough for her.

When she saw Devon approaching, she tapped Sam's leg to wake him. The look on Devon's face was a mixture of exhaustion, excitement, and panic. But his eyes seemed to be sparkling in a way that only a father's who had just held his daughter would. Sam and Mercedes stood, waiting for him to speak. The only words that left his mouth were,

"She's a heart breaker."

They took off after him towards the room. When they entered, they found Alicia smiling down at the little human being wrapped in a pink blanket, her exhaustion coated with the glow of new motherhood. Mercedes almost floated to them, her eyes fixated on Alicia. The sweetest form of envy pulled at her as she watched her grinning down at her newborn baby. When Alicia finally looked up at her, Mercedes saw that there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She's so beautiful," Alicia half sobbed. And looking down at the small angel in her best friend's arms, with Sam looking down above her head, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her. Her eyes were closed and her tiny lips were parted as she breathed softly in and out. When a soft sound escaped her, they all laughed as they watched her, observing her. Sam shook his head, stunned as he looked over at his best friend who was on the opposite side of the bed.

"Is it too soon to start barricading her away from boys?" Sam asked.

"No," Devon replied.

"Yes," Alicia and Mercedes said, all of them simultaneously and Devon laughed.

"You're gonna be a good god-dad, bro." he told his best friend. And Sam smiled through to his core. It was the first he'd heard of that title belonging to him, but he felt honored.

"Where are your parents?" Mercedes suddenly asked Alicia-whose eyes had yet to leave her daughter.

"They couldn't make it," she replied simply. "Out of town," she explained shortly before cooing at her baby again. She shook her head, looking at her best friend.

"This is my daughter," she almost whispered through a smile, her eyes watering again and Mercedes chuckled as she nodded, her vision suddenly blurred with tears.

"I know," she replied.

"She's here," Alicia giggled out as she turned back to look at her daughter.

"She's perfect," Mercedes said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her cheek before hugging her best friend softly, careful not to push against the baby.

"I want one," Sam muttered from above her once she'd stood up straight again and she laughed, never turning back to look at him as she replied,

"Oh, so not 13?"

For the next few days, they spent the day with their best friends and god daughter at the hospital until it was time for Alicia to go home, watching as Avery changed and grew in such a short amount of time; her beauty changing, growing every day. And afterwards, only a week passed with them leaving them to spend time alone with their daughter before they were calling and inviting them over to spend time with them and the baby.

It was unbelievable how much she'd changed in just that time-how much she continued to change. She was a quiet baby, only crying when something was needed.

The friends all talked together about her future-where she would go to elementary school, where she would go to daycare, and what they would do for her first birthday. It made both Mercedes and Sam happy to be so involved and to have the chance to develop such close connections with their goddaughter. Quickly, she became just another reason why they were so glad to have met Alicia and Devon.

TWO MONTHS LATER

With time came and age, Avery became a bit noisier and more difficult. Sam and Mercedes were feeling the full wrath of that as they babysat her while Alicia and Devon went out for a much needed date. She required more diaper changes than either of them were used to providing in those two and a half hours and at times she was inconsolable- a crying machine, nonstop for almost an hour with nothing seeming to help. But watching Sam with her was a beautiful sight-he was gentle, patient, and caring. He was all the things she never remembered her own father being. She couldn't help staring at him, because he was her future and she knew it.

"What?" he asked as they sat on the couch, him holding the bottle in the baby's mouth. She shook her head and smiled.

"Nothing," she mumbled. "Here, let me burp her," she said as she reached for her.

They were exhausted by the time Avery fell asleep in Mercedes' arms and she kissed the top of her kinky dark hair. Sam sighed loudly as he threw his head back on the couch.

"So just one, for sure," he said through a yawn and Mercedes laughed quietly, careful not to wake the snoozing infant. "Just one, but we can practice as much as you want," he told her and she shook her head as she smirked. And looking at her, the small baby in her arms, her hair tied back, little tiny stains of spit-up on her shirt, and her eyelids low, the words came easily to him again but with just as much meaning as the first time.

"I'm gonna marry you," he said and Mercedes laughed quietly as she looked down at Avery. "You think I'm joking but I'm not," Sam told her. And she looked at him, finding a sweet graveness in his eyes. She knew he'd meant it. And if she was being honest with herself, the idea of marrying him didn't scare her anymore. Sam had been the most unexpected thing to ever happen to her life. And now there wasn't a life that she could imagine for herself without him in it. He was her best friend, her lover, her therapist, and her headache, all at once and she was all those things to him as well. She loved him the way the heart should only allow once in a lifetime and she wanted this to be it. More than anything, she wanted this to be that once.

So no, she thought before the words left her aloud through a smile,

"I don't think you're joking at all, Sam."

**GUYS I FEEL LIKE CRYING BECAUSE THIS IS IT. THE END. **

**So, I wanna say thank you, so so much for all your continued support and for sticking with me through this. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, I'm not even exaggerating. I enjoyed every minute of it, I enjoyed all your reviews and your thoughts. This story will always have a special place in my heart and so will all of you! I look forward to hearing from you guys! I'm gonna take a break before I start the reboot just because fall semester's getting ready to start and I wanna get into the groove of it first. **

**Anyway, once again, thank you all so, so much for all the love. Until we meet again, 3**


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